


When I See You Again

by MadameMayorRM



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-05-03 17:57:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5301173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameMayorRM/pseuds/MadameMayorRM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the Season 3A finale, Henry and Emma are happy in the new life Regina gave them before destroying Pan's curse, sending all Storybrooke's residents back to the Enchanted Forest. Everything is fine until the night Henry begins dreaming about a brown eyed woman. Who is she? Is she real? Henry intends to find out. ***Eventual SwanQueen***</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or anything associated with the show OUAT. I wish I did though. It would be a very different story right now.
> 
> A/N: This is my first multi-chapter story. I hope you like it. The chapter titles and story title are all inspired by songs by Stevie Nicks either as a solo artist or with Fleetwood Mac. Some of the lyrics or the general mood of the song my reflect on the chapter so be sure to check them out.

_"Henry! You are too high. I am proud of you for being able to climb my tree without disturbing the apples but I am worried that you will fall. Please come down."_

_"But Mom! Don't you want me to pick some of these for you? I can even reach this one way out here."_

_"No, Henry. It's too dangerous. I will get the step ladder to reach those highest ones. Now, come down."_

_"Oh, Mom. I'm not a baby anymore. I'm not gonna fall! I'm safe up he..."_

_"Henry! Henry! Oh my god! Henry!"_

~ ( SQ ) ~

"Henry! Son, wake up. Are you ok? Wake up. You're having another bad dream," Emma gently shook Henry awake.

"What? What's going on? Am... am I dreaming? Mom?" Henry awoke confused, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands.

"Yeah, Kid. You were having a bad dream and woke me up. Do you remember what it was about?"

"No," Henry lied, looking away and hoping his mother couldn't see him well enough in the dark to know. She always seemed to know when people were lying.  _Her_ s _uper power._  "I don't remember."

"Well, it isn't important I suppose," Emma said skeptically.  _Why would Henry lie?_  "Think you can go back to sleep? You've got to be up early tomorrow for that museum trip. Don't want to be late."

"I'm ok. Sorry I woke you up, Mom."

"It's ok. But if you need me, just call me. You've been having these bad dreams a lot lately. I'm starting to get worried," Emma whispered as she smoothed the covers out over her son. His bad dream came with quite a bit of thrashing about tonight.

"Don't worry, Mom. It's probably just too much homework making my brain crazy. Maybe I should stop doing it," Henry grinned sleepily.

"Ha! Nice try, Kid. It's more likely too many video games. Do you want to stop those?"

"Nope. All good here. No more nightmares for me."

"That's what I thought. Good night, Henry. I love you."

"Good night, Ma. I love you too."

"Ma? What's that about? Too old for Mommy and now too old for Mom?"

"Huh? No. I don't know why I said that. Must be sleepy. Good night...  _Mom_ ," Henry emphasized Mom that time.  _Why did I call her Ma?_

Emma quietly shut the door to Henry's room and padded back down the hall to her own bed. This wasn't the first or even the third time she had made a late night trip to Henry's room this week, called there by his restlessness and nightmares. In fact, for the last several weeks this was becoming a regular thing.

Since they had arrived in their new apartment and new life in New York, it seemed like things had felt just a bit off. Sure, they were both happy, the apartment was nice, school and work going ok... but there was just something not quite right about it. Emma wasn't sure just what it was but there was an overall feeling like something was missing.

She hadn't mentioned this feeling to Henry. He was adjusting very well to the new school and making friends. Emma saw no need in worrying him. But now, the last few weeks with the nightmares-maybe he felt it too.

_No. You are not going to discuss this with the kid._

Emma snuggled down into her bed and waited for sleep to take her. As her eyes drifted closed, a thought danced at the edge of her mind. A book. Something about Henry and a book...

~ ( SQ ) ~

"How was the museum, Kid?"

"It was so awesome, Ma! The dinosaur exhibit was my favorite part. I mean, I know I'm too old to think dinosaurs are cool but these really were." Henry flashed a big grin at Emma as she hung her coat in the closet near the apartment door. She tried not to notice that he had called her "Ma" again.

"Henry. You are not too old for dinosaurs. Just stop growing up already!" Emma ruffled his hair as she walked into the kitchen. He seemed to have grown a foot over night. She could see him so clearly as a boy, toddling around their apartment in Boston, just learning to walk. Now, here is was, nearly as tall as her in her bare-feet, worrying about being too old for dinosaurs. "I'm glad it was fun. I want to hear all about it. Why don't you get started on your homework and I'm gonna see about dinner. What do you feel like tonight?"

"Lasagna," Henry said without missing a beat.

"Lasagna? Again? I just made that two nights ago. I was thinking about something a little simpler tonight. Maybe even ordering some Chinese take-out." Emma frowned at the prospect of preparing another pan of lasagna. It was something of a specialty for her and Henry loved it, especially that little extra kick the pepper flakes added, but she'd had a long day and wasn't in the mood.

"Ok. Chinese is good I guess. But lasagna would be better," Henry wiggled his eyebrows at her as he dashed toward the little den off the kitchen. "I don't have any homework tonight though because museum, Ma. I'll just be in here, playing video games," he called as he crashed on the sofa.

Emma shook her head at him with a grin. The sounds of his game already filling the air. He seem especially interested in this new game. He was a knight battling all manner of fairytale monsters on a quest to save the kingdom. She felt better about that game than many of the war games he usually played.

Once dinner was ordered and Emma had changed from her suit and heels, she sat on the couch beside her son with a brown paper package in her hands. She made no move to give it to Henry, only crinkling the paper some and waiting for his curiosity to get the better of him. It took less than a minute.

"What you got?" Henry turned toward his mother with interest, pausing his game.

"Nothing you'd be interested in," Emma averted her eyes and, with her feigned disinterest, reeled Henry in. His body continued to grow, his voice to deepen, but the childlike curiosity in his eyes was something she was happy to see he hadn't lost just yet.

"Mhmm. What is it, Mom? Tell me. Show me," Henry laid aside the game controller, fully involved in his mother's game now.

"It's nothing really. Just something I picked up for you. But, you probably don't want it. It's silly. In fact, I'll just put it away and..."

"No way! Let me see." Henry scrambled to get the package from her hand before she could stand. They both laughed as an impromptu game of keep-away ensued.

The game ended with a knock on the door. "Dinner is served," Emma said with a smile, handing Henry the package and jogging to the door.

Henry tore back the paper to reveal a book. The hard cover featured a nighttime scene of the sky-moon and stars-with the silhouette of a boy at the bottom, stretching up as if to touch them. No title was listed on the front or spine, so Henry opened to the front page. He loved books but hadn't read a new one lately. Too much excitement with the move and new friends and video games.

"Hey Mom?" Henry called walking into the kitchen. "Thanks for the book, but it's blank."

"Yes, I know it's blank, Kid. It's a dream journal." Emma had placed the take-out containers on the table and was reaching up for plates. Even take out was eaten at the table. _Separates us from the animals._

"A dream journal. For what? Like my goals and stuff?"

"No, for writing down the things you have been dreaming. I had read someplace that when you have bad dreams or vivid ones it can be helpful to write them down. It sorta helps clear the clutter in your mind so you can go back to sleep." Emma poured herself a glass of wine and Henry a glass of milk. He hated it when she served milk with dinner but soda wasn't suitable for drinking every day. Or at least something in the back of her mind said it wasn't.

Henry thought a moment as he sat down at his place at the table. "But I don't remember my nightmares. Like I told you last night, I don't know what I keep dreaming."

"Come on, Kid. My super power works at night too, ya know. I always know when you are lying. It's ok if you don't want to tell me about them. I just think it might help to jot them down when they are fresh. Just try it and if you don't like it, you can use the journal for something else. Deal?"

"Ok. I guess I can try. Deal." Henry, to his credit, looked a little embarrassed to have been caught lying to his mother. "I'm sorry for lying. I just don't really want to talk about the dreams, you know?"

"No worries, Kid. Eat your dinner and then I'm gonna take that knight of yours to school with my magic!"

"Yeah right. Like your Level 5 Wizard is any match for my white knight. Good luck... you'll need it."

~ ( SQ ) ~

_"Henry! You are too high. I am proud of you for being able to climb my tree without disturbing the apples but I am worried that you will fall. Please come down."_

_"But Mom! Don't you want me to pick some of these for you? I can even reach this one way out here."_

_"No, Henry. It's too dangerous. I will get the step ladder to reach those highest ones. Now, come down."_

_"Aww Mom. I'm not a baby anymore. I'm not gonna fall! I'm safe up he..."_

_"Henry! Henry! Oh my god! Henry!"_

Henry sat upright in his bed. His heart was hammering in his chest. It was the same dream from last night. Henry glanced to his left and on the nightstand was the journal his mother had given him. Clicking on his lamp, Henry began writing down everything he could remember about the dream.

It was more like a memory really. A memory with very subtle differences. When he was seven years old, he and Emma had been playing in the park near their Boston apartment and he had just mastered the art of tree climbing. But that particular day he had climbed to high and fallen, breaking his arm. He'd nearly given his mom a heart attack.

The dream was the same, only he wasn't in a park, he was in the yard of a big white house and the tree was an apple tree hanging full of red apples. He couldn't see his mom, but he could hear a voice calling to him, saying all the things he remembered from that day. There was something different about the voice though. Deeper, richer, different but familiar and definitely not his mother's.

"Henry? Is everything ok?" Emma stood in the door to his bedroom, her blonde hair wildly mussed, evidence of the deep sleep he'd pulled her from.

"Yep. I'm ok. Just writing my dream down like you said. I think it's going to help. I'm sorry I woke you again."

"It's ok. You're my son. I've changed every diaper, soothed every fever... I'm your mother. Waking up in the middle of the night sorta comes with the territory. But if you're sure you're ok, I'm going back to bed. I love you, Henry."

"I love you too, Mom. Definitely go back to bed. Your hair is crazy." Henry grinned after Emma's retreating form.

"Very funny, Kid. Good night."

~ ( SQ ) ~

Over the next two weeks, Henry noticed there was a change in his dreams. While they were still waking him up nearly every night, they weren't really bad dreams or nightmares. What made him bolt awake wasn't the dream's content but the fact that each dream was more like a memory with little differences like he had noticed the first night he used the dream journal.

Emma had all but stopped coming to his room when he awoke, unless he was making more noise than usual in his sleep. Henry had convinced her that he was fine, that the dreams weren't bad and that the journal was helping. His mom had finally relented and stopped popping her head in each night.

Henry sat in his bed, satisfied that Emma wasn't coming to check on him, reading over his previous entries to the journal. It was still dark outside but it was Saturday so he could have a nap later if he needed it. He skimmed over the previous dreams, cataloguing the memories, making notes on the next blank page in the journal of the differences from his waking memories and the dreams.

Henry noticed that many of the dreams featured memories from his early life.

There was one of his kindergarten class play. He had been the ugly duckling in the play and his costume had been itchy. He remembered being terrified upon seeing so many people in the audience and had faltered on his first line. Emma had helped him practice the lines and he had them memorized, but the lights and the people made his mind go blank. Then he had seen her, sitting on the front row, her face beaming with pride and he had smiled at her. Everything would be ok. Mom was there.

In his dream, the play was the same, his costume just as itchy, but the auditorium seemed different somehow. And when he had looked out for his mom to reassure him with her warm smile and pride filled eyes, they had been different. Instead of the green eyes he knew so well, chocolate brown eyes filled his mind. But his reaction had been the same. He smiled and everything was ok. Mom was there.

A more recent dream featured Christmas morning when he was nine years old. He had gotten a new bicycle and was so excited he could hardly wait to ride it. His mom had sat, curled in the corner of the couch, sipping a mug of coffee and wrapped in her navy blue robe watching him play with his new toys in the living room of their Boston apartment. He had lost one of his elbow pads among all the discarded wrapping paper under the small tree, decked in his handmade ornaments and the inexpensive ones they had purchased that very year just for this tree. She had laughed at his begging, finally giving in and promising that after lunch they would go out and he could ride his new bike for a while despite the cold December weather.

In the dream, the bike was the same, the toys scattered under the tree the same, but everything else was different. The tree was larger and alongside his handmade ornaments hung more expensive ones. The living room was large, the carpet over the hardwood floors soft and elegant. He noticed that outside the window, instead of an alley and another tall apartment building was a wide yard, bordered by a tall row of evergreen hedges topped with snow. Beyond that was an iron gate and an empty residential street. And sitting across the room, curled into the corner of the cream colored sofa, sipping coffee from her mug and wrapped in a gray silk robe was his mother... a dark woman, black hair, chocolate brown eyes smiling as he played, laughing at his begging, promising that after lunch they would go out for a bit to try out his new bike.

It seemed all the memory dreams the last few days had featured this woman more and more. He didn't know her. At least, he didn't recognize her as anyone he had ever met before. But in the dreams he never felt disturbed or concerned that she was his mother. He just knew she was. He called her mom and she called him son. Henry wondered if perhaps he had seen this lady someplace, on the street or in a cafe, and his mind had inserted her into his memories somehow. She wasn't anything like his mother in appearance, yet her responses to him, her affection toward him, everything about her in the dreams fit with his memories of his blonde haired, green eyed mother. It was confusing but it hadn't given him pause for concern.

Until tonight.

Tonight Henry's dream had been about a most ordinary occasion and it hadn't felt at all like a memory, as the other dreams had. He had no recollection of the event and yet, there it was, vivid and real just as the memory dreams had been. The other dreams hadn't made him want to talk to his mom about them. In fact, the "other mother" in them had caused him to keep the book hidden. However strange or misplaced it may be, he had a twinge of guilt at the idea of dreaming of this woman in place of his mom.

But the dream tonight had been different. In the dream, his dark mother was busy in the kitchen, adjusting the oven temp and cutting into a resting pan of lasagna, a glass of red wine on the pristine white counter. She was dressed impeccably in dark slacks and a crisp white blouse and the faint sound of jazz played in the background. She called to him to set the table and he found himself in a large open dining room setting three places. At two were wine and water glasses and at his place an already poured glass of milk. His dark mother had transferred the dish of lasagna to the table and Henry carried a large bowl of salad to situate beside it when there was a knock at the door.

"Well, that is a first," his dark mother's rich, deep voice had said with a smirk. "I can't believe she is actually on time."

There was a ding in the kitchen. An apple cobbler in the oven was ready to come out. His dark mother headed in to take care of it, calling over her shoulder as she disappeared into the kitchen, "Would you go let her in, dear? It appears we may have our family dinner on time for once."

Henry had scrambled down the three steps from the elevated dining room to the small foyer and pulled open the door. Standing there on the porch in red leather and jeans, a flurry of blonde curls falling around her smiling face was his mom. "Hey Kid. Am I too early? I don't want to shock your mom too bad by being punctual for once."

"Hey Ma. No, not too early, but Mom did mention this was a first," Henry said with a wink.

"And indeed it is a first, Miss Swan. I hope it won't be the last. Punctuality is a hallmark of good manners, you know," Henry's dark mother teased from the top step.

"Yeah, yeah. Good manners weren't that important in foster care, Madam Mayor," Emma teased back, no trace of malice in her voice.

A lilting laugh filled the room as a wide smiled spread across the face of Henry's dark mother. "I suppose not. Now, let's not waste your timely arrival standing in the foyer. The lasagna is getting cold."

"Lasagna?! My favorite! If you cooked that every week for these dinners I'd probably never be late again," Emma chuckled as they took their seats around the table.

"One would think you would come on time simply because I keep inviting you, Emma," the dark mother purred as she poured wine into Emma's glass.

Emma winked at Henry sitting across from her and mocked his dark mother's tone, "one would think after knowing me this long, you'd have learned better by now, Regina."

At this Henry had sat straight up in bed, eyes wide, heart racing. Finally the voice, the eyes, the smiling face had a name.

Regina.

But who was she? Was she real? Henry didn't know yet. But as the first streaks of morning light filtered into his bedroom and he laid aside his dream journal and turned off the bedside lamp, Henry Swan determined he was going to find out.

 


	2. The Nightmare

_"What happened?"_

_"You fell asleep."_

_"I did?"_

_"Oh, don't worry. It was just a little catnap. The night is still young."_

_"Wait... I remember something. My dad! When I was asleep I could've sworn I heard him calling for me... It must've been a dream."_

_"Well, how can you be sure?"_

_"Because... because my dad is dead."_

_"I'm sorry, Henry. It makes sense for us to dream about the things we've lost and the things we hope for. Like your father being alive and your mother coming to find you. But eventually you will find new things to dream about. And when you do... they'll start to come true."_

_"How do you know?"_

_"Because that's what I did and now you're here. Neverland used to be a place where new dreams were born. You can bring that magic back, Henry, and we can be your family."_

~ ( SQ ) ~

Henry lay very still in his bed, staring into the darkness, tracing the shadows cast by the sliver of light coming from the gap in his curtain. He hadn't made any move to record the dream since he'd awoken. He had only remained still, trying to calm his heart, thundering in his chest.

For several months now he had been writing things in his dream journal. Each night he had hoped that he would dream about Regina and perhaps gain more clues about who she might be and how he could find her. He had felt certain that she was in fact a real person, even if he couldn't understand her connection to him and his mom.

After dreaming of the three of them having dinner together, Henry had tried to casually bring her up to Emma. Maybe she was a friend or someone they knew in Boston and he just couldn't remember her. He'd brought it up at breakfast that Saturday morning.

_"Hey, Kid. You slept late this morning. Another dream?" Emma slid a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her son._

_"I did have a dream but it didn't keep me awake too long. I'm a teenager now, Mom. We're supposed to sleep late. It's in the handbook they gave me at orientation on my birthday," Henry said around a forkful of eggs._

_"My, aren't we a comedian today?" Emma chuckled as she turned her attention to the cocoa. "I'll never know where all this sass came from. You certainly didn't get it from me." Emma had her back to him, sprinkling some cinnamon onto his cocoa and grimaced at her own words. She tried to avoid mentioning his father at all costs. It wasn't a fun talk for either of them when it came up._

_"Yeah, yeah," Henry winked at her as she turned to him, silently saying her indirect mention of his father was okay. Taking a deep breath, he tried to bring up the visitor in his dreams as nonchalantly as possible. "Hey, Mom? Do we know anyone named Regina?"_

_"Regina? Hmm, I don't think so," Emma had a faraway look in her eyes, like she was trying to call up a face for a name and coming up empty handed. "Why do you ask?"_

_"No reason, I guess. I just had that name pop up and I wondered. So, nobody comes to mind?" Henry gently pushed a little further, hoping not to stir her curiosity too much._

_"Nobody comes to mind," Emma said, a frown of concentration wrinkling her forehead._

_"Oh, ok," Henry shrugged. "So, what's the plan today?"_

_The rest of breakfast had been small talk about the bills and laundry and homework that lay ahead of them that day. Henry cleared the dishes and as he closed the dishwasher his blonde mother spoke. "I thought of someone! There was a Regina in Boston but I'm not sure you would remember her. She worked at Thompson's Cleaners where I took my suits. Did you ever go in there with me?"_

_An odd marriage of relief and disappointment washed over Henry. So Regina_ was _real. But she_ wasn't _some mysterious figure from their forgotten past. "Um, I'm not sure. I think I went in there a time or two. That must be it."_

_"Well, if you ever met her, Kid, you'd remember. She sorta reminded me of that girl in the movie Brave, all that unruly red hair and freckles. I always wanted to anonymously leave her some hair products on the counter. Wow! So much hair!" Emma was laughing at the memory of someone who clearly was not the Regina in Henry's dream. "Is that who you were thinking of?"_

_"Um, maybe. I'm not sure. I don't remember the hair though. But, I guess it doesn't matter." Henry was surprised at how glad he felt to know Regina wasn't some random cashier in a cleaners in Boston._ But who is she?

After that, Henry had dropped the issue.

Days became weeks, weeks became months and the dreams of his mother and Regina and he had continued. Vivid and real, the dreams often depicted the two women arguing over him but many showed them trying to get along. Some, like the dream of a lasagna dinner, showed the three of them laughing and enjoying time together.

Although the dreams didn't offer any direct information that could point him in the right direction, he was able to glean some information by things that weren't in the dreams. He knew Regina didn't live in Boston. Everything seemed to take place in a small town. Regina was certainly not a shop girl. She apparently had a job in an office. In all the dreams she wore suits and heels. Her home in the dreams was large, immaculately kept and the furnishings expensive.

None of this information was useful in finding her though. If only he knew her last name, or the name of the town. That would be something to go on. But maybe she wasn't real at all. Maybe he was reading too much into his dreams. Maybe he was going crazy.

Henry had decided four nights ago that he wasn't going to think about Regina anymore. He was going to stop recording his dreams and let the whole thing drop. He had hoped that the act alone of making this decision would cause his brain to stop pumping out these realistic images every night. And it seemed to have worked. He hadn't dreamed of her once.

But there was something about tonight's dream that made him long for the confusion of the others. There was something bizarre and even sinister about the dream tonight. It was just as real as the others. He'd been in a jungle, watching shabbily dressed boys dance around an open fire. He could feel the heat on his face, smell the dampness of the earth beneath him where he sat and his dry mouth felt like he hadn't had a drink of water in days.

Sitting before him was an elf of a boy, trying hard to comfort him about his dreams and encouraging him to trust the denizens of the jungle as family. Dream-Henry seemed to trust so easily though there were alarm bells as he saw the scene unfold. This boy was dangerous. He didn't know why or how he knew, but Henry was sure this boy wasn't to be trusted.

But when the boy had said they were in Neverland, Henry had abruptly awoken, safe in his New York bed. He had felt the immediate urge to write the dream in his journal but he resisted. If he wrote this dream- one where he was in a fantasy land with what he assumed were Peter Pan and the Lost Boys- if he wrote that in his book alongside the dreams of Regina then he would be crossing a line from which he could not return.

Either he was denying that the dreams with Regina were real or he was affirming the possibility that Peter Pan was in fact a real boy and Neverland a place he had traveled. Somehow Henry felt that these two stories couldn't coexist in his journal, a forgotten memory and a fantasy. Either everything in the book deserved to be given at least the possibility of being real, or none of it did.

So he lay there in the dark, tracing the shadows, unwilling to move until he'd come to a conclusion. What would it be? Turning on the lamp, Henry slowly reached for the book and pen and began to write. Regina was real. The town she lived in was a place he had been somehow though he could not remember. Peter Pan was real and Neverland a tangible place.

A shiver ran through him as he made his decision. He didn't know when or how, but he was sure more than ever he was going to find out what was going on. And the place to start was Regina-he was sure of it.

~ ( SQ ) ~

For the next month, Henry slept through the night every night. If he was dreaming of Regina or Peter Pan or anything at all, he didn't recall it when he awoke each morning. The more time that passed without a dream, the more Henry began to doubt his conviction that the dreams were real. As his certainty waned, so did his drive to find this woman who lived in his dreams. Soon, Regina was all but forgotten.

Day in, day out, Henry and his mother fell into a routine and life went along as ordinary as ever. Henry had made several friends with whom he played video games more often than his mom would like. But Emma had started going on dates occasionally and that was more often than Henry would like so things evened out. Everything seemed to be ok again, and Henry's dream journal found a new home in his nightstand drawer amid scads of comic books and mate-less socks.

By the time school let out in early June, it had been almost five months since Henry had last dreamed of Regina. It had been a year since they had moved from Boston and Henry looked ahead with excitement to his birthday in 2 weeks. It would be his second birthday celebration in the Big Apple.  _Apples… what was it about apples?_ He was happy at the thought that this year he would have friends to celebrate it with.

On the first official night of summer break, Henry stayed up well past midnight, the TV turned down so low he was nearly reading the lips of the actors. Though he fought it, sleep came for him there on the sofa and in moments he fell into a deep yet restless sleep. He was dreaming again.

Henry was in a cave of some kind, maybe a mine tunnel because there were tracks for a cart. He was huddled between a man and woman about his mom's age. They seemed to be shielding him from something. Henry strained to look between them and a few yards away he could see his mother's long blonde hair and beyond her was Regina. They were facing each other, staring intensely into each other's tear filled eyes.

Henry couldn't see what was between them but there was an odd sound and bright light. Then without warning, there was a blast and both women flew backwards, the light suddenly extinguished. The couple who had been surrounding him ran to check on the women and Henry remained crouched and confused.  _What is going on?_

Before he could stand to join his mother and the others, a hand was across his mouth and a strong arm about his body, tugging and dragging along. He tried to call out to Regina and his mother but the hands were too tight and moving too fast. He squinted against the sunlight as they stepped out of the cave and ran toward a waiting car. It was then he saw clearly a woman, smiling a self-satisfied grin.

The scene changed and a man and the woman were pulling Henry along a boardwalk between two buildings toward the harbor. Henry wasn't sure where they were going but he was certain he would be safe. Something inside him kept saying  _my mom will come for me, both of them._ At the water's edge he wondered if they were going to simply drown him. There was no boat and yet his kidnappers made no move to stop.

Behind him, Henry could hear the sound of his mother and Regina calling out. His thought was right, they were coming for him. But a moment later the man, Greg he'd heard the woman say, he threw something in the water and a green glowing vortex had appeared in its wake. A moment later, they three had jumped into the swirling madness.

Suddenly self-aware, Henry felt trapped in a lucid dream. He knew he was dreaming and he wanted desperately to awaken, but try as he might, he couldn't break the spell of sleep. The dream had a hold and he could only keep watching it unfold. It was no longer a dream, but a nightmare.

Tumbling through the vortex with Greg and the woman, the green glow began to fade and the dream changed. Henry found himself again sitting in the Lost Boy's camp deep in the jungle. In his hand was a woman's compact mirror. It began to glow and Henry peered at the glass.

The image reflected wasn't his face. No, there in the mirror he saw his mother and Regina, both smiling with teary eyes. They assured him they too were in Neverland and were coming to get him to take him home. When someone approaching threatened exposure of the mirror, Henry dropped it and the glass cracked, the light dying out.

The dream changed again and Henry was now a spectator, no longer in the jungle but floating above a ship. Below him he could see the golden curls of his mother and the rich black locks of Regina kneeling on either side of his body. Henry watched awestruck as Regina took a glowing red and gold heart and pressed it into his chest. Gasping for air, Henry opened his eyes, now in his body again. He looked up into the adoring faces of his mother and Regina and tightly embraced the two women who had saved him.

The nightmare offered Henry no respite and quickly changed again. He was standing in the middle of a two lane road, a man's arm around his shoulders. In front of him he could see his mother facing Regina. He couldn't make out what they were saying but Regina turned now calling him to them. Regina was holding tight to his mother's gloved hand and promising them a happy life and good memories. Behind Regina Henry could now see a small band of people, all watching the interaction with saddened faces. Beyond them a strange green cloud barreled toward them all.

Regina was hugging him close and Henry could hear his own voice saying "you're not a villain, you're my mom." Then he and his blonde mother were running toward her faithful yellow bug and driving away. Henry looked back and watched in amazement as purple light shot out from Regina's hands and attacked the green cloud. The purple and green swirled and danced together and Henry had an incongruous thought that the colors were like and aging bruise. As he watched the cloud devour the gathered few and just before they all disappeared completely, something to the right of Regina caught Henry's eye—a green state road sign.

_Now Entering Storybrooke._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As a writer it is important to me that I receive credit for my work when someone else uses it, in whole or in part. In this spirit I would like to point out that the dialogue between Henry and Pan in the first dream is nearly verbatim that of the scene from the show. Kudos to the writer. I obviously liked your work.


	3. Think About it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in Chapter One.
> 
> A/N: I am sure many of you are wondering when we will see Regina outside of a dream. Have no fear. It won't be long now dears. Thanks to all of you who have left comments and reviews. You have no idea how much they make me feel like updating the story... so leave another. ;)

"I'm sorry sir, but we just have no record of a town called Storybrooke anywhere in the State of Maine. There are some lovely coastal hamlets however, if you would like me to send you a visitor's guide." The agent from the Maine Office of Tourism was clearly beginning to tire of Henry's assertion that there indeed was a place called Storybrooke.

"Sure, yeah, send it. Whatever. Thanks for your help." Henry gave her his address and dejectedly hung up the phone. He had begun searching the internet when he'd awoken from his nightmare and had turned up nothing. Once his mom had gone in to work for a couple hours, he had set about making calls to travel agents, government offices, anyone who might be able to help.

This last call had been his final hope.

Henry was sure the town must be in Maine. He and Emma had taken a trip there just before coming to New York. At least, that was the way he remembered it. They had gotten lost on their trek along the coast, and although he didn't remember Storybrooke or the scene that unfolded in the middle of the road, he  _did_  remember the road. They had finally found their way back to civilization along that road.

Henry quickly made a few notes in his dream journal.

_Things I'm sure about: Regina is real._ _She is the mayor of Storybrooke and lives in a large house._ _She and Mom are my..._

At these words Henry stopped. Chewing on the pen cap, he mulled over some options.  _Moms? Parents? Co-parents?_ What did that mean? How could Regina be his mom too? Henry thought about this and only one thing came to mind.  _Maybe they were a couple._

Tapping his lips with the pen, Henry took a moment to let this thought settle over him. In his dreams they  _had_  argued about him a lot. But he also noted that in his dreams, even the arguing ones, they seemed to care about each other, protect each other and consult each other about things. He shook his head to clear thoughts of the number of times they stared a little longer than he was comfortable with.

Henry continued his list.

_She and Mom are my co-parents. They seem to be a couple who has broken up._ _Peter Pan is real._ _Neverland and Storybrooke are real places that I have been._ _Storybrooke is on the coast and likely the coast of Maine._ _Nobody knows where it is._ _None of this is very helpful._

With those last words Henry chunked the journal and pen onto the coffee table. He wasn't giving up but he wasn't making any progress this way. He needed to think. And nothing helped him think better than a cup of cocoa.

_There has got to be a way to find this town..._

~ ( SQ ) ~

"...happy birthday dear Henry! Happy birthday to you!"

There was something unpleasant and amusing about the sound of the cracking voices of teenage boys singing a childish song. Emma couldn't help but laugh at the embarrassed faces-all of them, not just Henry's- after she had insisted they sing. Once the song was sung and the cake served, everyone waited for the gifts to be opened so they could get back to the games.

Emma hadn't been sure what exactly to do for her son's party this year. He was, after all, thirteen. And what was fine at twelve wasn't fine at thirteen. Emma smiled at her successful choice. Henry had invited several boys from his school as well as three very awkward and lanky girls to join him at the Good Times Depot.

With bumper cars, miniature golf, laser tag and a greasy snack bar, Good Times Depot was a kid's paradise. But the part that made it worth the trip out was the arcade. It was huge and featured new games as well as classics like Pac-Man and Frogger. There was an entire section of games that paid tickets for your scores, tickets that could be traded for candy, stuffed animals and cheap plastic trinkets.  _Yep, Swan, you outdid yourself tonight._

"Are you ready to open your gifts, Kid?" Emma waved a present in front of Henry before he had finished off his cake. She knew she had a very small window of opportunity before the natives would be restless and lose interest in the birthday part of the party.

"Sure, Mom. Bring on the presents!" Henry rubbed his hands together greedily and smiled a devilish little grin.  _Where'd he ever get that evil streak from?_

Among the gifts, Henry had received a number of gift cards, some cash and a couple of new video games. Without her prodding, he had thanked each person after opening each gift. Emma was always proud of Henry, but at times like this she felt just a bit extra. He was a good kid. She'd done a good job.

"One more and then you can all get back to the games," Emma said with a smile. She had saved her gift for last and hoped Henry would be both happy and surprised.

Henry made quite a show of trying to guess this gift. Winking at his mom, he rattled the box from side to side. He weighed it in his hands and shook it near his ear, brow furrowed as if in deep concentration.

"Just open it already," commanded Henry's friend, Jake from over Henry's shoulder. He was not the only one growing impatient with Henry's antics as several other boys chimed in.

"Okay, okay! I'm just having a little fun." With that Henry ripped back the paper and began wrestling with the over taped box. His mom wasn't a professional gift wrapper, but she took tape seriously.

Freed from its festive prison, Henry pulled the gift from a nest of tissue paper. It was a large paperback book.

_The Maine Thing: A Guide to Beautiful Coastal Maine_

Henry's eyes were wide and filled with confusion. He looked to his mother for an explanation. Several moments passed with Henry staring back and forth from the book to his mother.

"Okay guys, everybody go play! Henry will be along in a second," Emma dismissed the crowd and sat down next to her son. His confused face made her wonder if she had made a mistake.

"Mom, what is this?" Henry stared at the glossy cover.

"Well, it actually came in the mail last week addressed to Mister Henry Swan. I wondered why you would order it, but I had seen a bunch of searches for Maine on the computer browser history-which I do check, FYI- and I sorta thought you must be wanting to go there again. We had such a good time last summer, I just thought... Was I wrong?" Emma's heart dropped as she considered that her gift was about to be a monumental failure.

"No. No, you weren't wrong," Henry hurried to school his features to a look of happiness. "I was just shocked to see this, that's all. I had forgotten I ordered it. Thanks, Ma."

"Oh, well that's a relief. Wow, Kid. I was about to seriously cry if you didn't want that. Mostly because my gift isn't that book from the tourism office, obviously. I have something much better in mind."

"What? What's my gift?"

"We are going to Maine! I had to call in a favor and pull some strings at work but I got two weeks off. Of course, we don't have a real itinerary on such short notice, but its gonna be great! Just you and me buddy, driving up the coast in my little yellow bug. We are leaving in the morning! I figure we can get there in about 8 hours if we don't stop too often. How's that sound?" Emma barely took a breath as she pushed out her explanation. Her green eyes searched Henry's face, begging him to be excited.

And he was.  _Storybrooke._

"Mom! You rock! This is the best gift ever! I'm so excited! We will be in Maine on my birthday! You're the best!" With that, Henry launched himself into his mother, more like a five year old than a thirteen year old. Emma reveled in it and squeezed her son tight. This was going to be his best birthday yet.

~ ( SQ ) ~

"We must seriously be cursed," Emma groaned as her faithful yellow bug coasted to a stop on the side of the two lane road at the edge of a very dense forest.

"It's ok, Ma. Let's just consider this a part of our adventure and call a wrecker." Ever hopeful, Henry tried to lighten his mother's mood.

Since Henry had learned at his party the night before of the trip his mother had semi-planned for them, things had not gone well. Perhaps they should have taken Jake Brody's unfortunate bumper car accident and subsequent sprained wrist as an omen of things to come. But once Jake and Henry's other friends had wished Henry a happy birthday one last time and left Good Times Depot, he and his mother had put the incident out of mind and stayed up far too late packing everything they could possibly need on a two week road trip.

Bright sunlight pouring in the window had awoken the Swan's rather than an apparently busted alarm clock. Despite the late start, Emma had insisted they could still reach the first little seaside gem Maine had to offer before dark if they limited their stops along the way. After narrowly missing a collision and skating past Boston at what seemed mere moments before rush hour, Emma thought maybe they really would make it to Maine on Henry's birthday after all.

Then it had happened. Somehow Emma had taken a wrong turn. Civilization began to fade in the rearview mirror and houses became more sporadic but Henry and Emma continued. _It's an adventure._ The words were the chorus ringing between them. Emma wasn't worried-the gas tank was full, there were snacks and drinks in the back and surely they would see a landmark soon to locate themselves on the map.

"I should've turned around when I realized we were lost," Emma grumbled mostly to herself. "I'm sorry, Kid."

"Mom, seriously, it is ok. This has been an exciting birthday for me!" Henry laughed, still trying to ease his mother's tension. "I just hope the bug isn't dead. Maybe we should call someone. I'm not scared or anything but... yeah. It's pretty dark out here, Mom."

"Call who, son? We have no idea where we are. Even if I could get a wrecker service on the phone, where should I tell them to come?" Emma's frustration was evident as she shimmied her phone out of her tight pocket. In a very out of character move, she had opted for skinny jeans, gray tank top and red leather jacket today. Most of the drive had been too warm for the jacket but it was cooler here, especially since the sun had set hours ago. "Oh that's just terrific. Damn it."

"What's wrong?" Henry could count on one hand the number of times he had heard his mother swear in the last year. She was clearly upset.

"No signal. I couldn't call anyone even if I had a number."

"Oh," Henry said with a decidedly less optimistic tone. "What should we do?"

"Well, I'm going to get out and walk ahead a bit. Maybe I can find a signal or see a house or something. You stay here."

Henry opened his mouth to protest.

"Henry, you stay in this car and lock the door. I won't walk far and I'll come straight back. Ok?"

"But mom! What if there is a wild animal or an ax murderer out there? You might need my help!" Henry's voice had reached a level of whine by the end that denied his thirteenth birthday more than he could imagine.

Emma grinned at her son. "Oh yeah? What are you going to do? Cute them to death?"

"I am  _not_  cute." Henry glared at her incredulously.

"Yeah, you sorta are. Especially when you get that little mad thing going with the squeaky voice. Seriously. So darn cute." Emma's smile was wide and genuine as she teased him.

"Well, ok. I'll stay here. But I am not cute."

"Okay, Kid. If you say so. Lock the door and stay put."

Henry watched as his mother shrugged on her jacket and disappeared around a bend in the road, darkness swallowing her from his sight. He reached up and locked his door and leaned over to lock his mother's. He looked around nervously.  _What are we gonna do now?_

Despite being very excited at the prospect of possibly locating Storybrooke and its mayor, if Henry was honest with himself he was also a little apprehensive. What if they didn't find the town? What if they did? What if Regina wasn't real? What if she was? Henry laid his head back against his seat and closed his eyes. Taking deep calming breaths, he tried to compose himself.

Looking at the sky, a black ocean dusted with diamonds, Henry whispered and wished to no one in particular, "Storybrooke is real. Regina is real. We will find her. Please, let us find her."

Movement ahead caught his eye. It was Emma jogging toward him.

"Hey Henry! We must be close to a town," Emma said opening the driver's side door. "I came up to a city limit sign just around the bend there. I figure if we keep walking we are bound to come to a house or business sooner or later. C'mon, Kid."

Henry ambled out of the car, leaving everything behind. If they were able to find help, they could always get a ride back to collect their things. Emma was walking fast, hurrying along in hopes of reaching the town and safety as soon as possible.

As they rounded the bend, Emma gestured to her right, "See there.  _Welcome to Storybrooke_. I've never been so happy to see a street sign in my life. I just hope we don't have to walk too far before we find a house. Kid? Hey, Kid. Henry? Are you okay?"

Henry was standing in front of the wooden sign, frozen. He wasn't moving, wasn't blinking, only staring with his mouth hanging open. "Storybrooke? It's real?" Henry mumbled under his breath as his mother approached and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Henry, you're scaring me. Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Huh? Um, nothing's... no, nothing's wrong, Mom. I just... too much excitement for one day. I'm glad we found a town. Let's go." Now it was Henry who took the lead along the dark road.

"Wait up! No need to run. We might have a long walk yet. Pace yourself, buddy." Emma half jogged to catch up to her son.

"Sorry. Just ready to be there. You know, not Storybrooke necessarily since I've never heard of it obviously. Just ready to be  _there-_ like wherever." Henry tried to hide his excitement but was failing miserably. Even in the dark, with only the stars and a silver sliver of moon to light the way, Emma could see her son was trembling with nerves. He was nearly vibrating with anticipation.

"Yeah. Kid, you are acting really weird. No more sodas for a couple days, ok? I think we over did in on the drive." Emma reached a hand out and ruffled his hair.

"There!" Henry cried out, pointing to a light in the distance. It was only a streetlight, but it meant that people couldn't be too far away.

Emma laughed out loud at her son's enthusiasm. "Well, pardon the pun, but streetlights don't mean we're out of the woods yet. It's pretty late. Even if we see a house there is no guarantee there will be anyone home or that they will be awake. I'm really not interested in going to a strange house and waking people up at this hour if I can help it. "

"Well, maybe we will be lucky and find somebody still awake." Henry had picked up his pace upon seeing the streetlights.

"Yeah, maybe."

The two travelers had barely reached the first streetlight post when the most unexpected thing happened. They found themselves not on the outskirts of town but suddenly in an established and affluent neighborhood. From wilderness and woods to an actual, house filled, sidewalk lined neighborhood within just a few hundred feet.

"Unbelievable," Emma said as they walked up the tree lined street, past manicured lawns and picket fences. The homes were large and intimidating, hulking creatures in the darkness. As they marched along, they passed a number of homes but none with any lights on.

"Well, should we just pick one?" Henry was looking from one side of the street to the other, watching each house for signs of life inside.

"I guess so, Kid. If we don't see a light on by the end of the street then, yeah, we will just pick one whether they are awake or not." Emma really hoped they saw lights soon. Despite their predicament she really did hate the thought of knocking on a door at, she glanced at her watch, midnight straight up.

"Hey Mom! That house has lights on downstairs. Maybe they are still up." Henry pushed open the iron gate between huge evergreen hedges and jogged up the path.

"Wait, Henry. Let me catch up." In a moment, Emma was beside him at the door of a large white house. Indeed there were lights on inside despite the hour. She raised her fist and knocked tentatively, her knuckles rapping against the door beside the shining brass house numbers.

_108._


	4. Enchanted

"Yes, dear. As I said yesterday, I understand that you would like to come along with me. But you must also understand that I don't know what I will find when I get there. They won't know who I am. May I remind you that you are nine months pregnant? Frankly I have no desire to deliver your baby in a rest area, no matter how charming it is," Regina had stopped trying to conceal her irritation.

There was a tiny "oh" on the other end of the line. Regina took in a huge breath and exhaled slowly, sounding something like a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Snow. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just..." Regina's voice trailed off, unable or unwilling to put her feelings into words. It was hard enough to apologize and know she meant it. She drew the line at admitting her trepidation at the task ahead of her to her former nemesis.

"Worried? Nervous? Terrified? Because I would be all those things, Regina. And that is okay. You don't have to be embarrassed by how you feel. It may seem like this is a long shot and won't work out, but I just know it is going to be ok. I just know it." Snow tried to make her voice as confident and optimistic as possible without sounding over the top. "You'll find them because..."

"I swear to God, Snow, if you say you always find each other I will end you." Regina tried to sound as menacing and dangerous as she ever had as the Evil Queen but she knew it was pointless. Snow knew too much to ever believe it now.

"Yeah, yeah. If you say so. Destroy my happiness and all that. I get it. But we do find each other, for the record." Snow's voice sounded the lightest Regina had heard it in weeks. She was very nearly laughing and that made Regina smile. And the fact that it made her smile made her frown. When did she start smiling at anything to do with Snow other than her head on a platter?  _Oh, right, over the last year_. "Well, can I at least come over and keep you company for a bit tonight? David can drop me when he makes his night rounds and..."

Regina cut her off. "No, absolutely not. It is after eleven, Snow." Regina realized she was snapping again and tried to sweeten her tone as she continued, "You shouldn't be traipsing all over town with that belly of yours and to be perfectly honest, I am going to bed in a bit anyway. And it isn't like you won't be over here with Idiot #2 and half the town at the crack of dawn tomorrow to see me off."

"Oh! Who told? Nobody was supposed to tell."

"Relax dear. No one told me. I'm surprised at you though. Even after all this time you still have no idea what I am capable of. Cracking the code on small town gossip isn't that difficult." Regina smirked. She hadn't been told, nor had she overheard this bit of information. She had been guessing and Snow had just given herself away but Regina wasn't about to let on. She might not strike fear in the hearts of her subjects or the  _princess_  with her threatening presence these days but she could at least keep them on their collective toes.

"Well, I suppose not. So, there will be a small group there to wish you well in the morning. I recall you are something of an early riser,  _carpe diem_  and all that, so we will come by around eight, okay?"

"Alright. Eight is fine. I was planning to leave then anyway so you can wave me off down the road with your handkerchiefs in your hands and tears in your eyes." Regina smiled at the image.

"Regina! Are you making fun of my gesture?"

"Obviously, dear. Do try to keep up." Regina smiled again.  _At least my sarcasm is intact._

"If I wasn't so glad that you are going to bring back our family, I would cancel the whole thing. But, I am glad and I know you are teasing because you are nervous so... I forgive you."

"And on that note, I really need to go. I'll see you in the morning.  _Do not_  knock on my door one minute before 8am. I can't guarantee anyone's safety until I've had my second cup of coffee."

"Yes, ma'am. No knocking. Good night, Regina. Although I wish you'd let me come over..."

" _Good night, Snow._ " Regina's tone said not to push her anymore. A huff on the line meant Snow knew she was defeated and the line went dead. Regina hit end and laid her phone aside.

"What you need is a glass of cider," she said aloud to the empty room. Pouring herself a tumbler half full, she sat on the cream colored couch, leaning on the arm and pulling her legs up beside her. Despite it being summer there was a fire dying in the fireplace of her study. Whether the chill she felt all evening was real or imagined she couldn't say but the warmth of the small fire had soothed her.

Regina knew she should go to bed but she wasn't ready. There was still something she needed to do and she had been putting it off. But she was going to do it. Tonight.  _Before midnight while it's still…_  She didn't finish the thought. Later, she would do it later but not right now. She still had, she glanced at the clock on the mantle above the fireplace, 47 minutes.

It was Regina's plan to go to New York tomorrow and find her son.  _And Emma._  It had been a little over a year since that fateful day when she had sent the thing she loved most away from the town line and Pan's impending curse.  _Thing or things?_ She wasn't sure anymore.

All she knew was that she could have taken Henry herself and run away. She could've left them all to fend for themselves, to deal with the repercussions of Pan's foolish choice to re-curse the recently un-cursed citizens of Storybrooke. There was nothing stopping her from saving Henry and herself, from crossing the town line and never looking back.

Nothing except Henry and Emma and even the two idiots. Somehow she had come to care for them all. She cared what happened to them. She cared what Emma would think of her, what Henry would think most of all. So, she had sent them away with her memories but no memory of her. It had been the hardest and easiest choice she had ever made in her life. She didn't regret it but she didn't intend to let it stand forever either.

Finding them would be the easy part. It wouldn't take long to locate them, even in the Big Apple. But Regina knew finding them wasn't enough. She had to get them home somehow. She had to make them remember. She didn't know how but that wasn't the most important thing right now. All that mattered to Regina right now was seeing Henry.  _And Emma._

"Yes, and Emma." Regina again spoke out to no one.

It troubled her how often she had taken to talking to herself since they had returned to Storybrooke. She had hoped being in her old home on Mifflin Street would help ease the ache in her chest, but being back among Henry's things, feeling the emptiness that he had filled had been too much to bear. She'd even put some of the pictures of him away. Seeing him everywhere, knowing she'd never see him again, it just hurt too much.

For a few days she had tried staying with Snow and her prince. She had made excuses about the house being so big and being accustomed to them being close since they'd all lived in her castle together the past year. She knew they saw through her ruse but to their credit, the Charming's didn't mention it. But even in the loft Regina had only found emptiness. The apartment was not only full of Henry's absence but Emma's as well. It was worse than the mansion, so she had gone home.

It was then, alone in the quiet home that suddenly seemed ridiculously large for one person, even a Queen, that Regina had started talking to herself. Sometimes she pretended to talk to Henry or Emma. Sometimes, though she would deny it to her grave, sometimes she pretended they answered. She would imagine what they would say or how one or both of them would roll their eyes. Such behavior couldn't be healthy.  _It's pathetic._

When her curse had been destroyed and they had all found themselves back in the Enchanted Forest, all she had wanted was to disappear. The hollow gnawing in her chest was unbearable. In all her loneliest moments before the curse, or even in Storybrooke, she had never felt this way. Loneliness had been more bearable when she didn't know the fullness of having someone. She had once believed that not having someone was the worst curse but now she knew better. To have someone and lose them was the worst curse imaginable.

Although Snow and David had embraced Regina in the midst of their shared grief, (indeed she and Snow had tentatively buried the hatchet and not in each other's backs), she still felt the weight, the heavy burden of solitude. She had even contemplated a sleeping curse many times after arriving in the old land. But then an opportunity had presented itself in the form of her supposed sister.  _That witch._

Regina had felt a moment's peace when she directed her thoughts to this new someone to destroy. It hadn't taken long to discover her plan to steal Snow's expected arrival and use the baby's innocence to travel in time and ensure Regina never existed. For a smart and powerful sorceress, Zelena certainly liked to brag about her plans before they came to pass. That had made it easy for Regina and her new allies to formulate a plan of attack or one of escape.

They all had something at stake. Besides the horrible image of Zelena stealing an infant from its mother, there was the realization that without Regina there would be no curse. And without the curse, Emma would never have met Neal and that would mean there would never have been a Henry. Even those who didn't care one whit about Regina's well-being were spurred into action for Henry.

As time passed, a council was formed and this time it had included Regina. While there were some who resisted the idea, there was no denying she was a brilliant war strategist and natural leader and soon it became clear she was an asset and old grudges would have to be set aside in the name of survival.

It was in that spirit of letting the past go that Snow had knocked timidly on the door to Regina's private chambers. A slightly surprised and suspicious Regina had invited Snow in and although it had been awkward, they had tried to talk through some of their issues and heal some old wounds. They may have been fairytale characters, but neither of them lived with the fantasy that one heart to heart was enough to settle years of hurt, but it was a start.

The next visit was easier and the next easier still because they had something in common now, something that made them seek each other out. They both new the loss of a child. They both missed Henry. And it hadn't taken long for Snow to realize, they both missed Emma.

~ ( SQ ) ~

_"You miss her, don't you?" Snow's voice showed no hesitance or doubt._

_"Who?" Regina had suddenly found an invisible thread on the cuff of her sleeve fascinating and refused to look Snow in the eye._

_"Who? Regina. Is that the best you can do? Who? You know who. Emma. You miss her, don't you?"_

_"Miss her? Ha! You must have pregnancy brain, my dear. Why on earth would I miss her? I mean—"_

_"Regina—"_

_"—seriously, Snow. She was nothing but trouble to me from the moment I laid eyes on her. How could I possibly miss her? Why, she is—"_

_"Regina—"_

_"—the most frustrating, difficult, stubborn person I have ever met in my life. Sure, she loves Henry and takes good care of him. And I guess she has a certain charm, an allure to some people but—"_

_"REGINA!" Snow had tired of trying to interrupt Regina's litany and yelled in frustration._

_"What?! Why are you yelling?" A look of shock crossed Regina's face at Snow's outburst._

_"I'm sorry," Snow said around a forced smile. The resulting expression was unnerving. "I'm sorry I yelled but you were going off on a tangent. Just forget it. If you say you don't miss her then you don't miss—"_

_"I do miss her," Regina nearly whispered. She cursed her traitorous lips for revealing what she was trying so hard to hide. But somehow saying it, admitting it to someone felt like freedom from a cage. "I don't understand it, but I do. I miss her so much. What's wrong with me?" There was a look of such confusion in Regina's eyes that Snow's heart clenched in sympathy._

_"Oh Regina," Snow's voice was as soft as a cloud gently floating toward Regina. "There is nothing wrong with you. There is nothing wrong with saying you miss Emma, or that you care about her. We all know you care just like we know she cared for you—"_

_"She… cared for me?" There was a wonderment in Regina's voice as she interrupted Snow._

_"Yes, of course she did. How many times did she save your life back in Storybrooke? You don't do that if you hate someone. At a minimum I always thought you would have made great friends if you had ever had a chance. But there was always some monster to destroy, some villain to vanquish. But yes, of course she cared."_

_The look in Regina's eyes made Snow's heart break. Not the confusion of one who hears an enemy is actually a friend, but in Regina's eyes was the surprise of hearing anyone cared at all and the fear that it might not be true. For all her bravado and swagger, the young innocent who had lost her first love and with him her faith in the love of others was still there, scared and confused by her own emotions. It was so obvious to Snow in that moment she almost shook Regina's shoulders and screamed into her face_ you love her _, but she knew that was something Regina needed to learn on her own._

~ ( SQ ) ~

After many skirmishes with Zelena and her simian army it had become evident they would not win the war. Regina was indeed a formidable foe and a powerful sorceress in her own right, but she was no match for Zelena in the dark arts. Without Rumple to combine his darkness or Emma to bring the light, Regina couldn't win. Snow was nearly ready to deliver the baby so they knew they must act fast. They would do the only thing they could—enact the dark curse and return to Storybrooke.

Regina had nothing to sacrifice for the curse so she and Snow had worked together and David had offered himself in favor of protecting his wife and child from the witch. It had been Snow who had asked if it were possible to leave Zelena and her monkeys behind as part of the curse since Regina had selected Whale and no one else from his land in the original curse.

Regina had been ashamed she hadn't thought of it herself. She had only planned on giving Zelena a cursed identity that knew nothing of magic. But leaving her behind was an even better idea so Regina had worked it into the spell.

As the curse had billowed out into the land and Charming lay dead, Snow had insisted Regina split her heart and save him. She had been doubtful and was sure she was going to kill Snow White when she had just started to like her, but she had done as Snow asked. To her surprise, Idiot #2 had awoken and Idiot #1 had lived.

~ ( SQ ) ~

In what seemed like days and seconds all at once, they opened their eyes in Storybrooke again, memories intact and the Wicked Witch blissfully absent. That had been two weeks ago. And now, in a few short hours, Regina was going to find her son and his mother and bring them home.

Regina had done a lot of thinking in the days and nights since Snow had first insisted that she missed Emma. The organized, rational parts of her had made a list of Emma's good attributes and her bad ones in hopes of uncovering what it was she missed about her. That had only made Regina uncomfortable. The good attributes side has started getting too long. And some things were on both lists.

When she had added  _beautiful eyes_ and  _infectious smile_  to the list, she had thrown it across the room. Those were not attributes she should even be considering. But in a few minutes she was picking the list up and adding  _she makes me feel safe_. And with those five words, Regina had known.

_Oh dear god. I love Emma Swan._

Regina hadn't told Snow of her revelation but the blush blooming across her face every time someone mentioned Emma had given her away. Snow had been surprisingly okay with the idea that her former enemy and former step-mother might have more than friendly feelings for her only daughter.

"It's poetic, Regina. In fact, it is perfect. The Savior and the Evil Queen. Now  _that_  should be a fairytale."

Regina sat her cider down, nearly untouched. She'd gotten so caught up in her musings she had nearly let time get away from her. Five minutes until midnight and she had something to do.  _Can't put it off any longer, dear._

~ ( SQ ) ~

On the island in Regina's immaculate kitchen stood a solitary cardboard box. It was small and the label atop it boasted "Sugarlicious Bakery." Regina had been avoiding the box and its contents all day. But she knew, if she didn't do this now she was going to miss her chance.

She stalked over to the island and lifted the lid. Carefully she lifted a single cupcake out and set it on the counter. The white icing was dusted with crystalized sugar to make it sparkle. Regina opened a drawer behind her and pulled out a single blue candle and stuck it in the top. With a snap of her fingers, the wick was lit and, leaning in close, she began to sing.

"…happy birthday dear Henry, happy birthday to you." The silent tears slid down her face as the song ended.

"Well, I suppose I better make a wish," she whispered to no one. "Oh darling, I wish you and Emma were here with me. I miss you both so much. Happy birthday, my sweet prince." And with that her eyes closed and she blew out the flame.

Her eye sprung open at the sound of a quiet knock on the door.  _Snow._

Regina walked gingerly down the few steps to the foyer and pulling open the door she called out, "Snow, I told you there is no need in you coming out toni—"

She stopped mid word at the sight before her.

_It can't be. It just simply can't be._

"Hi."

_Emma?_

"I'm sorry to bother you so late, but my son and I…"

_Henry?_

"…are lost and our car broke down a couple miles back. Could we use your phone to call a wrecker?"

_What's going on? How are you here? This isn't real. Henry? Emma?_

"Ma'am, are you okay? Do you need…"

Regina never heard the last of Emma's question. It seemed the world stopped spinning and instead Regina was a whirling dervish, a top spinning out of control. In slow motion and yet all at once, her body began to fall like a rag doll to the foyer floor, darkness clouding her vision as unconsciousness claimed her. Abruptly the spinning stopped and all the world was black.

 


	5. The Second Time

" _Hi."_

Emma?

" _I'm sorry to bother you so late, but my son and I…"_

Henry?

"… _are lost and our car broke down a couple miles back. Could we use your phone to call a wrecker?"_

What's going on? How are you here? This isn't real. Henry? Emma?

" _Ma'am, are you okay? Do you need…"_

_Regina never heard the last of Emma's question. It seemed the world stopped spinning and instead Regina was a whirling dervish, a top spinning out of control. In slow motion and yet all at once, her body began to fall like a rag doll to the foyer floor, darkness clouding her vision as unconsciousness claimed her. Abruptly the spinning stopped and all the world was black._

~ ( SQ ) ~

Regina had been having the most vivid dream. She had opened the door and there on her dream doorstep was her dream come true-Henry and Emma. It was a pleasant sight. Henry had grown so much and Emma was more beautiful than she had remembered.

The dream left her warm on the inside as she awakened. But something was wrong. Her mattress seemed awfully hard and cold. And that noise—what was that noise?

"Ma'am? Ma'am? My name is Emma Swan. Can you hear me? Henry, she seems to be waking up. See if you can find the kitchen and bring me a glass of water. Hurry. Why are you just standing there, Kid? Get moving."

_Was that Emma's voice?_

Regina opened her eyes to see a curtain of blonde curls framing Emma's worried face and whispered, "Emma?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm Emma Swan. My son, Henry has gone to get you some water. You fainted." Emma looked toward the kitchen. "Hey kid, hurry up. She's awake."

"Emma? Henry?" Regina seemed unable to process what was happening around her. How could they be here? Emma was knelt beside her on the foyer floor, cradling Regina's head in her lap.

"Yes, I'm Emma and that is Henry," Emma nodded toward her son on the top step. "Come on, Kid. What are you waiting for? Bring me the water."

Henry stood frozen with the water in his hand. He hadn't even had to search for the kitchen or its contents when Emma sent him to bring the water for Regina. He moved, as if by rote memory, and opened only one cabinet to retrieve a glass he recognized as the same he had drunk milk out of for every dream dinner the three of them had together. But now he stood, feet stuck to the floor, staring at his mother and the specter from his dreams lying in her lap.

"Seriously, Kid? Bring me the damn water." A second curse from Emma in less than an hour shocked Henry in to action.

"Here. Sorry." Henry was embarrassed at the squeak in his voice as he spoke. Deliberately avoiding eye contact with Regina, he cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm sorry, Ma."

"It's ok. See if you can find a pillow." Emma turned her attention back to the woman in her lap who was suddenly trying to get up. "Hey now. Lay still. You fainted so don't try to move until you are sure. Should I call somebody to help you? Your husband or…?"

"No," Regina managed to answer. "I haven't a husband. I am here alone."

Emma's eyebrows shot skyward at the woman's admission of being alone.

"Which is perhaps not the sort of thing I should tell a complete stranger in my home while I seem to be incapacitated." Regina rolled her eyes at her own mistake.

"No worries. You got lucky this time. You're safe with me." Emma smiled her brightest smile at Regina as Henry appeared at the top of the steps into the foyer once again.

"Oh, I know I am," Regina whispered as Emma began arranging the pillow under her head. "Really, this is unnecessary… Ms. Swan was it?" Regina pushed herself into a sitting position.

"I assure you, I am fine. I just got a little dizzy when I opened the door. Perhaps not enough to drink today." Regina made a show of sitting up and drinking down nearly all the water Henry had provided.

"Well, I still think you should just stay down here a bit longer. You scared me and the kid half to death." The fear and genuine concern in Emma's emerald eyes belied the teasing tone of her voice.

"I'm very sorry, Ms. Swan. And Henry." Regina turned and, for the first time since she had fainted, fully looked at her son.

The moment their eyes met, Regina saw it. Recognition. Her chocolate eyes locked on Henry's green and they two stared on in wonder. They both seemed to be asking the same silent question.  _Do you know who I am?_

Henry and Regina continued to stare, neither willing to break away.

"So, yeah," Emma began awkwardly. "Me and the kid are on vacation and our car broke down up the road a ways and I was hoping you could help me find a wrecker service… I mean, when you feel up to it."

Regina nodded slightly to acknowledge Emma but still never took her eyes off her son. He was trembling but he was trying to put on a brave face. Regina had seen this behavior so many times before. Henry always wanted to appear strong in front of his mother, perhaps because she was always strong in front of him.

"So, um…" Emma shifted a bit on the floor. The staring had crossed some invisible line into uncomfortable territory, especially for strangers.  _What is up with these two?_

Reluctantly, Regina looked away from the boy and back at his mother. "Yes. A wrecker service. I am certain I can locate someone for you."

"Oh, that would be awesome," Emma gushed, jumping to her feet. She reached out a hand to help Regina up. For a moment Regina only looked at the offered hand before slipping her own snuggly in it. The hand closed around her was warm and comforting. It was Emma.  _They are really here._

Emma glanced at the pillow Henry had brought for Regina and nodded for him to replace it. After another moment of staring at Regina in disbelief, he picked it up and trotted into the living room. "Sorry about my son acting so weird. I don't know what's gotten into him. Too many sodas on the trip maybe. I normally don't allow them but since it was a trip I thought, why not. But now I am questioning my decision. He's usually very friendly. Great kid, good grades, always polite and… and I am just sure you could care less at this hour. Good job rambling, Swan." Emma ducked her head, scolding herself for going on and on.

Regina's heart melted as she took in the sheepish grin on Emma's face. Emma's hand reached up under blonde curls to rub the back of her neck in embarrassment for her ramblings. It was only then that Regina realized Emma had been holding her hand since she had pulled her up from the floor. Suddenly aware that she needed to take control of the situation, Regina smoothed out her grey dress with all the poise of a former queen and smiled at Emma.

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?"

"Got anything stronger?" Emma's face brightened in a lopsided grin.

"Perhaps. Why don't I pour us a drink and I'll show you and Henry to my study. You can relax while I go find the number for that wrecker." Regina turned and climbed the steps from the foyer, adding a little extra swish to her hips just in case Emma was looking.

Regina felt a flutter in her stomach glancing back to see she was.

~ ( SQ ) ~

"Pick up, pick up," Regina whispered into the phone. She had deposited Henry and Emma, with cider in hand, into her study and excused herself to the kitchen under the guise of searching for a number for a wrecker service. In reality she decided the first thing she needed to do was call Snow White.

"Hey Regina! Change your mind about my company?" Snow answered on the third ring with a voice far too chipper for the late hour.

"They're here, Snow. They are here." Regina hated the tremble in her whispered words and hoped Snow hadn't noticed.  _You need to calm down._

"What? Who's here?"

"Emma and Henry! Who else would I be calling about,  _Princess_?!" Regina hissed into the receiver. She was having a hard time controlling her emotions.

"What?! Oh my god! Why? Do they remember? I need to call David! We will be there in 5 minutes…"

"NO! Snow, shut up and listen. They do not remember. Under no circumstances are you to come to this house—"

"If they don't remember then what are they doing here?" Snow interrupted, her mind going in a thousand different directions with questions and emotions and ideas.

"There's no time to explain now. I promise I will give you details later. Right now I need to get the word out around town that they are here and no one should approach them. Conversations should be kept short and limited to pleasantries for a stranger. Call Ruby. That should get the word out quick enough." Regina laughed nervously at her jab toward Ruby. She liked the wolf but she was a notorious gossip.

"Ok, ok. I'll start calling everyone," Snow paused, wanting to ask a question but unsure if Regina would snap at her again. "Um, can I ask… how do they look? Do they seem happy?" Snow couldn't stop the sound of tears in her voice. Her baby had found them… again.

"They look perfect. Happy, healthy and here. And Henry, he..." Regina hesitated.

"He what? What Regina?"

"He… I don't know how it can be possible but I think he recognized me. But, I can't think about that right now. They are waiting and I've got to call Michael Tillman and let him know Emma is about to call him for a tow. I promise I will be in touch as soon as I can." Regina paused trying to form the right words to say to her former enemy turned friend. "I can't believe they are really here. I'm not dreaming, am I Snow?"

"No, you're not dreaming. Unless we are sharing one which would be weird, even for us." Snow tried to hide the excitement and anxiety in her voice. "Now, we've both got some calls to make. Talk again soon." And with that, the line went dead.

~ ( SQ ) ~

Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, Regina entered the study with every ounce of confidence she could muster.  _You have destroyed entire realms without even trying hard. You can certainly remain calm for a few more minutes._

"I'm sorry for the delay, Ms. Swan. I did manage to find that number for you. Tillman's Garage. They also have a wrecker service, although don't be surprised if they are unable to assist you until morning. Storybrooke is a small town and we don't usually have a lot going on at this hour."

"Oh, well, that's ok. I'm just glad someone can help us." Emma reached for the phone and the slip of paper with the number to the garage Regina was extending to her. The tips of the blonde's fingers ghosted across Regina's as she released the device to her and Regina gasped at the involuntary spark of magic. "Oh man! Static electricity! That was a pretty powerful shock, huh? Sorry about that," Emma smiled nervously. She clearly had no awareness of her magic having returned even if her memories had not.

"Not at all Ms. Swan. And here, I took the liberty of making this for you, Henry." Regina reached out to her son, who had been quietly observing the interaction between the two women from the end of the sofa. "It's hot chocolate."

Henry made no move to accept the steaming mug as he stared hard into brown eyes. Just as it had been in the foyer before, Regina and Henry were locked in a gaze, eyes asking questions they could not yet form into words.

"Hey kid, it has cinnamon. How cool is that. That's how we drink it at home," Emma nudged Henry to accept the drink.

"Indeed? Well, that is something of a tradition here. I hope you like it," Regina pasted on her best politician's smile as Henry gingerly took the cup.

Henry merely nodded and took a sip. Emma glared at her son. "Forgive his lack of manners. I am going to chalk it up to a long and tiring day and hope he returns to himself in the morning."

Regina simply smiled in response. Something was definitely going on with Henry. A moment of awkward silence passed between them. The sound of a ticking clock, of ice cubes floating in cider, of Henry sipping carefully from the hot drink seemed thunderous in the overwhelming quiet. Emma didn't know what to say to this beautiful and benevolent stranger and Regina was afraid of saying too much. Henry merely stared between them, studying and thinking.

Emma cleared her throat. "So, the wrecker, I guess I should make that call. Mind if I step into the hall here?" Emma indicated the door with a slight nod.

"No, be my guest. I will just sit here with Henry."

"Great. It should only be a minute. Thanks again for all your help Miss… hey, I don't even know your name."

"Mills. Regina Mills. I am the mayor of this lovely little town so when you talk to Michael tell him I gave you his name and number. Perhaps he will cut you a deal." Regina's smile morphed into a smirk as Emma looked down at the number Regina had handed her with the phone. She knew full well Michael Tillman was sitting by his phone awaiting this call.

Before coming into the study, Regina had called him and explained what was happening as succinctly as she could. He was under orders to wait until the phone rang 3 times to give the appearance he was still in bed. He was to kindly refuse to fetch the bug tonight, but offer to pick it up in the morning. And once it was in his custody, he was to take as much time as possible to repair it, even if he had to break something else to stretch it out. Regina wanted to keep Emma and Henry here as long as she could. She had to figure out a way to bring back their memories.  _There has to be a way._

"The mayor?! Dang. We hit the jackpot. Of all the houses on this street to approach, we sure picked the right one, huh kid?" Emma smiled at her son and then at Regina.

"Yes, I'd say you certainly made the right choice coming here tonight, dear," Regina replied to Emma's retreating form. With a quiet click the door closed and Regina found herself alone with her son for the first time in a year.

"So, Henry, how do you like your cocoa?" Henry hadn't spoken a word to Regina all night. He had barely said anything even to his mother. Regina was desperate to hear his voice addressing her, even if it was about something as pedestrian as the taste of her chocolate and cinnamon concoction. Her son, right here with her and yet not here at all. She smiled at him again, trying hard to swallow the lump in her throat and the desire to reach out and ruffle his dark hair.

Henry only stared. Finally, he set the mug of cocoa atop a coaster he instinctively knew was in the basket on the coffee table and locked his eyes on Regina again.

"Who are you? And how come I keep seeing you in my dreams?"

 


	6. Rooms On Fire

Regina lay in the bed wide-awake, staring at the ceiling despite the late hour. It had been quite an eventful day. Her mind refused rest as she tried to understand all that had happened. She smiled brightly in the dark, throwing her arm across her eyes as she relived the excitement of seeing Emma and Henry there at the door, of just being in the same room with them again after all this time. It would all be so perfect but for the fact that they had no idea who she was. Except it seems Henry.

Henry appears to know so much more than she expected.

_"Who are you? And how come I keep seeing you in my dreams?"_

_"I'm sorry, what?" Regina tried to hide the battling emotions of elation and fear. How could Henry possibly know?_

_"See, I was so confused when we left Boston and headed this way. I'd been looking for you but nobody has heard of this place. I mean, nobody. So I was sorta hoping it would be real, you would be real. But I was also hoping you wouldn't be real in a way. And now here I am, sitting in your study, drinking my cocoa," Henry smirked and nodded toward the hot drink on the table, "with cinnamon. Really? And the amazing part, you are real. So please just tell me the truth. Who are you?"_

_Regina just stared at him for a long moment. She didn't know what to say. Could she tell him? She didn't want to lie. Her mind wandered back to the days before Emma had come and broken the curse. She had lied so much. She lied about the curse, she lied about who she was. She made Henry think he was going crazy. And all that lying nearly cost her everything. It had nearly cost her her son._

_She glanced up at Henry and quickly looked away. "I don't know what to say."_

_"Well, if you aren't who I think you are and this place isn't what I think it is then I'm going crazy." His words stung her and she felt tears prickling at her eyes. Crazy wasn't something she wanted to make him feel ever again._

_"It's complicated," she started. How do you tell someone who has no idea who you are that yes, in fact, they do know you, that their dreams are real? She wasn't even sure what he had dreamed, so how could she say?_

_"What have you been dreaming?" It seemed reasonable to her to ask and the question allowed her time to think. It was like saying something without saying everything._

_"All sorts of things," Henry shrugged. "But my dreams are more like memories, memories of things that I did with my mom. Only sometimes it isn't my mom, it's you. I know things about you from my dreams. You're Regina, the mayor of a town in Maine nobody knows exists. You're friends or partners or co-parents or something with my mom. And I call you mom too. Like, you're both my moms." Henry's voice was becoming increasingly agitated. He was getting more upset as he went along. "I don't understand. I dream about strange places. And magic. And I think I'm going crazy. But here I am, sitting in Storybrooke, drinking cocoa like it's the most natural thing in the world."_

_Regina didn't know what to say. She just looked down at her hands in her lap a moment and contemplated the right thing to do. She was prone to impulsive decisions she knew, but this was different. She needed to think. Finally Regina looked up and her chocolate eyes locked on Henry's green and for a moment they both just stared. She knew he knew who she was. She knew she should react somehow but she didn't know what to do._

_With a heavy sigh, Regina got up, breaking the connection between them and walked over to the window. She looked out at the wide expanse of her yard. The yard where Henry had played. The yard where he had learned to ride a bike, where he'd fallen and broken his arm. She couldn't face him. She wasn't ready to tell him just yet but he kept talking._

_"I just need someone to tell me the truth." There was real desperation in his voice. It was unbearable. Regina kept her back to him, but she could feel those wide and questioning eyes boring into her back. She could hear his breathing and knew instinctively, as only a mother can, that he was shaking, that tears were threatening to spill. But she wasn't ready yet._

_"Henry…I- I don't know what to say. Has Emma… I mean, has Miss Swan… Has your mother had dreams as well?" Regina pushed harder trying to ignore the obvious, trying to delay the truth._

_Regina heard Henry's shoulders rise and fall in a shrug, followed by a heavy sigh of his own._

_Persistent questioning may come from Emma but that impatient sighing is mine. "I don't think so. She hasn't mentioned anything but I guess… maybe. But, what difference does that make? Please just tell me the truth. I'll understand. I can't take lie. Are you… are you my mom?"_

_Regina stood a moment, her body trembling, her mind racing. How could he possibly remember? Had the magic not worked? Was it because he held the heart of the truest believer? It didn't matter. The fact remained, he knew. So Regina turned, still standing at the window, and locked eyes again with her son._

_In a barely audible voice she whispered, "Yes."_

_Before Henry had time to react however, the door to the study burst open and Emma came stumbling in. "Well, looks like you were right Madam Mayor. The wrecker can pick the car up tomorrow. But nothing can be done tonight."_

_Emma caught the last moments of the intense stare the two brunettes had been sharing. "Hey, is everything alright in here? Henry?"_

_"Yeah, Ma. It's okay. I just… uh, I got choked on this cocoa. Drank too fast." Henry ducked his head and gave Emma a sheepish grin. He glanced at Regina and she offered a small smile of thanks. Henry clearly understood this wasn't the time to tell his mom what was going on._

_"Well Miss Swan, if you'd like, I know a quaint bed and breakfast in town that would be happy to put you and Henry up for the night. Let me drive you out to your car to collect your things and then I'll take you to Granny's." Regina painted on her most mayoral smile as she headed toward the door of the study._

_"Oh, no. I can't ask you to do that. You've done so much already. And it's so late. Point the way out and we can manage. Call a cab or something." Emma smiled, suddenly embarrassed to take anymore of Regina's time._

_"But I insist. We seldom get visitors in Storybrooke. This isn't exactly a tourist town. So, please, let me help you. I'm sure Granny will take good care of you." Upon Emma's continued hesitation, Regina went on, "I'm afraid I will not take no for an answer, dear."_

_"Well, in that case, okay I guess. Let's go kid."_

After collecting their things, Regina had dropped them at the bed and breakfast. Luckily Snow had been able to reach them and although Ruby was struck silent upon seeing the returned duo, she managed to set them up in Emma's old room.

Regina sighed remembering Emma, in panties and a tank, answering that door when she'd first come to town. They'd been strangers then and not on good terms yet there had been something intense between them even then.  _How could I have overlooked that?_  Tonight had been much the same-strangers again at the same door but somehow this meeting ended on better terms.

Once she was sure they were settled in, and had assurance from Ruby that she'd stay up and call her if anything happened, Regina had come home. She'd been alone in her empty house since the denizens of the Enchanted Forest had returned to this realm but somehow it seemed emptier now that her family had come and gone again.

Lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, she wondered if Emma and Henry were asleep. Were they worried about that deathtrap of a car? Were they thinking about their vacation? About her?  _You have got to get some sleep._

Regina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She drifted off to sleep thinking of tomorrow. Tomorrow, as they'd agreed, she would have breakfast with her son and his mother. Tomorrow she'd be with her loves.  _Until tomorrow…_

~( SQ )~

"Here's two hot chocolates with cinnamon. I hope you like it," Ruby said with a sleepy smile.

"Sure, thanks," Emma smiled in return to the leggy brunette.

"Do you want to order some breakfast or…." Ruby continued.

"I think we'll wait," Emma shrugged. "We're meeting someone."

"Okay then. Just wave me over when she gets here." With that Ruby sashayed back over to the counter and began talking in a whisper with a woman Emma could only assume was the namesake of the diner.  _Why did she assume I was waiting on a "she" to arrive?_

Emma glanced at her watch. 7:50am on the dot. She and Henry had come into the diner a full 45 minutes early. Despite the late hour that they had arrived at the bed and breakfast, Henry had been up before the sun, raring to go. Emma had grumpily insisted from under her pillow that they could sleep a little later but her son had pulled back the curtains and turned on the TV in response. Now she found herself sitting in the diner, waiting for Mayor Mills— _no, she said call her Regina_ -waiting for  _Regina_  and Emma got the feeling this town was a little unusual.

The blonde prided herself on being observant, a skill that had served her well in her work, so she noticed right away that although they were trying to be discreet, the townspeople who were huddled at the tables and booths in the diner kept casting secretive glances toward her and Henry. Emma noted that Henry kept looking over his shoulder towards the door.

"What are you watching for kid?" Emma inquired with a raised brow.

"Oh, nothing really. Just waiting for the mayor, I guess." With that, Henry turned his attention back to his cocoa and began studying the menu with a brow furrowed in concentration.

_So he's watching for the mayor too._ Emma smiled at the thought of her. Regina. The blonde's brief interactions with her up to this point told her the woman was complicated. She was clearly intelligent, she was the mayor, and yet she had allowed total strangers into her home, strangers she was about to meet for breakfast. She was being awfully kind to them and going out of her way to see they were ok.  _Must be how she became the mayor._

But there was something about her that Emma couldn't yet put her finger on. Something that kept her awake last night, staring into the darkness, listening to the silence, thinking about her. Sure she was beautiful, you'd have to be dead not to know that. And if Emma was honest she would say she found Regina sexy. But it was more than that.

Emma had met many attractive women in her lifetime, women who made her question her sexuality, women who gave her the answer to that question even if for just one night, but never one about whom she had lain awake thinking. She wasn't surprised at finding the brunette attractive, but she was lingering in Emma's thoughts in a way that perplexed blonde. Maybe Regina's fainting spell had caused this curiosity, this tenderness in Emma toward her. But that wasn't completely it either. It was a feeling of an itch on the back of her brain, almost like a forgotten memory, begging for attention.

The blonde shook loose the thoughts from her head, causing her curls to dance. She was being silly. She would have breakfast with the Mayor today, get her car fixed as soon as possible and get back on track with their vacation hopefully by tomorrow. She had no intention of letting her temperamental bug ruin this trip before it had even begun.

She glanced at her son. He was proving to be quite resilient with all the unexpected goings-on. Emma smirked. She had caught him looking over his shoulder again watching the door.

"Henry, it is barely 8 o'clock. She still has another 30 minutes before the time we agreed to meet." Even as the words came out of Emma's mouth, the bell over the door sounded its cheery jingle and the door opened to reveal Regina Mills in all her glory. She was wearing a tight black pencil skirt and red silk blouse with certainly an unprofessional number of buttons left undone. Her black stilettos were tapping out the rhythm for the beautiful symphony her body was playing as she approached their booth with a smile. The very sight of her made Emma inhale sharply.  _What is going on with you, Swan? You don't even know this woman._

Regina's heart was pounding as she made her way to the table. The brunette had to remind herself not to sprint to them. Seeing Emma and Henry now was just as emotional for her as it had been the previous night. She had hoped to arrive before them to the diner in order to verify the other patrons had been warned not to approach their magically amnesiac savior but it appeared the duo had been more eager to get there than she was.

"Sorry, am I late?" Regina smiled broadly, sitting down beside Henry.

"Oh, no. No, you aren't late. For some reason the kid got up before the sun and raced to get here," Emma smiled shyly, almost embarrassed by their early arrival.

"Well, it is certainly refreshing to see you are punctual Miss Swan. And good morning to you, Henry," Regina turned her attention to the boy and he smiled brightly at her.

"Good morning Regina," he said, wiping away the remnants of his cocoa. "What do you think we should do today?"

"Actually, I had hoped after breakfast to show you some of the sights. While we are not a tourist town per se, Storybrooke does have a lot to offer." Regina turned her smile from Henry to his other mother, looking for confirmation.

"Uh… yeah, I guess that sounds ok but I really don't want to interrupt your normal schedule. I'm sure as mayor you have like, mayor stuff to do, right? I can't ask you to take time away from work…"

Regina quickly interrupted Emma's polite refusal. "You didn't ask. I offered. It would be my pleasure. And really, if I've been the kind of leader this town deserves, it will run smoothly in my absence. So, would you like a tour?"

Emma glanced at her son and saw pleading in his eyes. He looked like he had as a much smaller boy, begging for a new toy or to stay up a few minutes past his bedtime. Her lips quirked up in a smile at the memory and she turned her attention back to the mayor.  _Spending the day with that beautiful face wouldn't be the worst thing, Swan._

"Ok then. That sounds great. But I do need to go by the mechanic and see what he can tell me about the bug first. I hope he can save her," Emma laughed, but there was worry in her eyes as if the car were indeed  _someone_  and not something about which she cared.

"Perhaps I may make a suggestion," Regina began tentatively, watching Emma's expression to be sure she did not push too hard too soon. "After our breakfast, why don't I take Henry to our lovely little library while you attend to your vehicle? Henry looks like a young man who enjoys a good book and our library has some very… unique things to offer. Then, when you have found out everything you wish to know about your car, you can meet us there and we will go on with our day. How does that sound?"

Regina noticed immediately the hesitation cross the blonde's face. With furrowed brow, she glanced between her son and the older woman. "The library is just down the street, under the clock tower. You can see it there from the window," Regina gestured to the left, her fill lips curving into a smile she reserved for times she wanted to get her way by flirtation and not force. It was midway between a smirk and childish pout. "I assure you, Henry will be safe. Do you trust me?"

_Trust you? Lady, I don't even know you. You want me to just hand over my kid? Mayor or no mayor, we haven't even known each other 12 hours yet. I can't just send the kid off with you, no matter how sexy that smile is. I mean, are you even serious right now?_

"Sure, sounds good." Emma was shocked as the words fell from her lips. Despite her misgivings and the short time she had known the other woman, Emma had a feeling Henry was as safe with the brunette as he would be with his own mother.

~( SQ )~

"Good morning Madam Mayor. And who have we here?" Henry noted the oddity of an Australian accent in the middle of nowhere Maine. The petite woman smiled brightly at him.

"Hello Belle. Henry, this is our librarian, Miss French. Belle, this is Henry Swan. He and his mother, Emma are visiting our fair city for a bit," Regina said with a look Henry couldn't be sure of, but it seemed she was trying to tell the other woman something with her eyes.

"How lovely. Welcome Henry. I hope you enjoy your visit." Belle beamed at the boy who had been her step-grandson.

"Thanks. So far everyone here has been really nice," Henry said, looking around the library at what appeared to be hundreds of old and interesting books.

"Henry, why don't you take a look around and let me speak to Miss French for a moment," Regina nudged him toward the fantasy section. "You might see something interesting over there."

"But, Regina… I was hoping we would get a chance to talk about… you know." Henry had liked the idea of seeing the library. He did love to read as Regina had suggested, but he also wanted the time alone with her to pick up the conversation from the night before.

"I assure you Henry, we are going to talk about that. I just need to ask Miss French something and I will join you," Regina said with a look that told Henry not to argue.  _Geez, she really must be my mom._

As he wandered toward the fantasy display he heard Belle whisper "Has Snow seen them yet?" before the mayor shushed her. He glanced back and both women were smiling, watching his retreating form. Then they were out of his earshot and he turned his attention toward a variety of amazing old tomes.

He'd never seen so many antique looking books before. Inhaling deeply, Henry took in the scent of paper and dust. It would seem odd to some to think that was a pleasing scent, but to a book lover, it was. Nothing compared to the smell, the feel, the weight of a book ready to whisk the reader away to places unknown. Henry was anxious to talk again to Regina, but the books would be a happy second choice for the boy.

"So, has she seen them yet?" Belle continued once Henry was far enough away.

"Not yet. I told her to give me today to see how things would go and then we would create some reason or other for them to meet the Charming's or Nolan's or whoever they want to be. She isn't happy about it, but this is a very delicate situation," Regina said with a frown.

"Yes, it would appear so. I had heard talk that they have no idea who we are. I can see by Henry's behavior that rumor is true." Belle looked at Regina with something close to compassion. "I'm sorry Regina. Is there some way to bring their memories back?"

The former queen shrugged off the sympathy. She and Belle had come a long way despite their complicated past, but sympathy wasn't something she was ready to take from the blue eyed beauty just yet. "Actually, I don't know of any way but that is what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you think there may be something in some of Rumple's books that might help? I was headed to New York today to bring them here on some pretense when they just appeared on my doorstep. I hadn't really thought things through yet, I just missed them so much and needed to get them here that I… What?"

Regina stopped her long-winded explanation at the smile stretching across Belle's face. "Them. You said you missed them and not him."

"Oh, well, of course I meant him. What difference does that make? Do you have the damn books or not Book-worm?" Regina tried to cover her slip up with feigned anger at Belle. While the Charming's knew for sure how she felt about Emma, her other former subjects only had suspicions that the once Evil Queen had fallen for the Savior.

"Alright, alright. No need to go all Evil…" Belle lowered her voice to a whisper, checking once again for Henry's proximity. "No need to go all Evil Queen on me Regina. I will check Rumple's things and let you know. And, uh… for what it's worth, I think it would be wonderful if you did miss them both. There is something perfectly poetic about love between the two of you. Light and dark… good and evil… plus you already share a son. I can see it. I think we all can."

Regina's eyes glazed with tears at Belle's words. The younger brunette smiled tenderly at Regina and laid her milky white hand on Regina's golden one. "Everything is going to work out Regina, I just know it."

Shaking herself from the cloud of emotion, Regina squared her shoulders back into her more regal stance. "Really Miss French, you've been spending too much time with the two idiots, spouting a hope speech like that. I'm surprised at—"

She was interrupted by a sound behind her. Regina turned to see Henry, tears streaming down his too grown up face, clutching a book to his chest. As she made a few steps toward her son, she noticed belatedly that the book in his hands was  _his_  book of fairytales. It had been missing since they had returned from the Enchanted Forest.

"Henry… are you alright? Why are you crying?" Belle had stepped around the counter and placed a supportive hand to the mayor's back. "Henry?"

"I remember… I remember everything."

 


	7. Some Become Strangers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed all seven chapter posted at once. This story is a work in progress that was posted to another site. I am adding all my works to this database as well. This is not an orphaned story. I will come back to it.

"You… you remember?" Regina could barely hold herself back but she did not move any closer to her son until he responded.

"Yes," Henry began, his voice wet with tears. "I remember everything, Mom!" With that he catapulted himself toward his mother. The story book fell to the ground between them as they embraced.

For a moment the pair just stood there holding each other close and crying. Regina had been containing her emotions since seeing Henry standing on her door step the night before but now the floodgates were open. Silent tears rolled down her face and she raked her fingers through his dark hair.

Belle stood watching from the counter, her own cheeks wet with tears. She observed the mother and son reunion, trying not to eavesdrop on the murmured  _I love you's_ and  _I'm so glad to see you's_  along with some mumbled words she couldn't quite make out.

As they pulled back from their embrace, Henry beamed a huge teary smile over at his step grandmother. "Hi Belle."

"Hello Henry," she whispered reverently, a smile brightening her eyes. "Welcome back."

"It's good to be back," he said, laying his head on his mother's shoulder.

"I'm certainly glad you're back," Regina breathed, squeezing him close to her and ruffling his hair.

Regina had so many questions she wanted to ask. There were just so many things she wanted to know about New York and his life there. She looked into Henry's eyes and they were swimming with questions. She knew he would be curious about the last year and what he had missed, how they had fared in the other realm and how they had been able to return here.

But as they stared at one another, silently studying each other, looking for differences a year had produced and contemplating what had happened in those months apart, they seemed to both have a thought together that Henry finally voiced.

"What about Ma?" Henry asked, his forehead wrinkling in contemplation.

"I don't know, Henry," Regina shook her head. "I honestly don't know what to do about Emma. Perhaps the book… It was the book wasn't it that brought back your memories?"

"Yes," Henry said. "I found it on the shelf and when I opened it- it was like my mind opened up and everything flooded in. All the memories were just there. But I don't think that will work for her, Mom."

"You're probably right," Regina sighed. "That would be too easy. There has to be some way to make her remember."

"The thing is, my memories had already been coming to the surface," Henry shrugged. "In New York, I mean. For like almost the whole year I've been dreaming of you. She hasn't mentioned anything about you. Even when I asked her if we knew anyone named Regina, she couldn't remember a soul except for some girl at her dry cleaner's in Boston."

Henry's words were innocent enough, but hearing that the mention of her name hadn't brought even the slightest spark of memory to Emma cut Regina deeply. She felt a wash of disappointment overtake her. The brunette fell back on old habits and tried to mask the hurt in her eyes, but her son was too quick.

His head cocked to the side, Henry squinted at his mother. "Mom? Are you okay?"

Regina averted her eyes from her son. Unfortunately she did so just in time to see the look of pity on Belle's face.  _Oh no, I will not be pitied._  Regardless of the difficulty of the situation or the ache in her chest, she was not weak and would not—could not—allow someone like Belle to feel sorry for her. Squaring her shoulders back assuming the regal stance of the queen she knew she was, Regina looked back at Henry.

"Yes, I'm fine. Everything will be okay. We will figure something out. There has got to be some way to bring back Emma's memories. In fact," Regina said, returning her gaze to Belle, "I believe Miss French just mentioned some books that she has promised to look through that belonged to Rumpelstiltskin."

"Oh, we don't need his books," Henry said with excitement. "I think I know how to get her memory back. True Love's Kiss!" The boyish glee in his voice contradicted his new stature. Henry stated his claim with confidence now, as though it would be foolish to disagree. "Isn't it the power that can break any curse?"

"That is true, Henry, but…" Regina tried to intervene. Her heart was galloping like a racehorse toward the finish line. Of course she had thought of this solution, but it couldn't possibly work. Finding Emma's True Love certainly spelled disaster for Regina. There was no way it could be her and there was no way she was ready to let it be someone else. Not yet. There had to be another way.

"Mom, come on! That's all I've heard since the curse broke. True Love's Kiss, yada yada yada. And we already know who her True Love is!" Henry threw his hands in the air and a broad grin filled his face.

"We do?" Belle and Regina exclaimed in unison. The two women gave each other wide eyed looks of bewilderment and turned back to Henry.

"Sure we do.  _Me!_  Wasn't it True Love's Kiss between us that broke the curse to start with? All I have to do is find the right time and give her a kiss!" His voice had a tone conveying childish excitement and a sort of arrogance as if this was the most obvious answer. How could they have missed it?

Regina sighed, "I suppose it is possible, dear. But if it's all the same to you, I would still like Belle to look through the books just to be sure." Turning her attention to Belle she said "Would you mind calling Snow and letting her know about this new development? And tell her if she can ignore us, she and David may come to the diner where we will be having lunch. But please remind her that Emma does not know her and Henry must pretend that he does not as well. If she can try to refrain from crying or throwing herself at them that would be great."

Belle nodded her agreement and watched as mother and son sat down together. Henry began a long, excited and animated tale detailing everything that had happened in the last year while he had been in New York. As Belle watched the interaction, her eyes filled with compassion for Regina. The brunette looked with such love and longing at her son as he went on about school and friends and the apartment he had shared with his other mother, but Belle knew there was still a giant obstacle to overcome. She vowed silently to herself to do her part to bring back the Savior's memories. She would head to Rumple's store right away. But first, a phone call needed to be made.

"Hello Snow? It's Belle…"

~ (SQ) ~

"So Grandma and Gramps are going to come observe us for lunch and you trust them not to approach us? Apparently a lot happened for you in the last year too, huh?" Henry and Regina had already made their way to the diner. Having received a call from Emma that she would be just a bit longer at the garage, they agreed to meet her at the diner instead of the library.

Word travels fast in a small town and Henry's miraculous or perhaps  _magical_  recovery of his memories seemed to have moved through Storybrooke in record time. Passers-by and diner patrons were discreet as they addressed their mayor and her son but many gave the returning prince a nod of recognition and some even gave congratulations and welcomes in hushed tones.

For the last ten minutes the pair had sat in their usual booth, he sipping on his cocoa and she cradling a much-needed cup of black coffee awaiting Emma's arrival.

"Well, I suppose you could say we arrived at a sort of understanding," Regina began.

"What?! Did you make up?" Henry's eyebrows shot to his hairline in shock at the very idea of the Evil Queen and her mortal enemy seeing eye to eye on anything.

"Let's just say we spent a lot of time together in the Enchanted Forest. It seems that the Dark Curse destroyed their castle and since that was  _technically_  my fault, I was willing to share my castle and partial rule of the kingdom with your grandparents." Regina tried to sound indifferent so she could gauge her son's reaction. In truth, she would not have survived the year apart from Henry  _and Emma_  without the Charming Idiots close by.

"No. Way." Henry's mouth fell open.

"It appears that Snow White and I have more in common than I may have thought. Especially after leaving here and losing you and…" Regina hesitated. "Well, I lost you and she lost Emma. We found common ground in our grief. We understood each other's suffering." Regina shifted uncomfortably and diverted her eyes from her son out the window.  _Where is Emma?_

Henry hadn't missed the hesitation in his mother's voice. "What about you, Mom? Did you miss Emma?" There was definitely something going on and although Henry wasn't sure just yet what it was, he had no doubt he could figure it out sooner or later.

"Miss her? Well, I, uh… I wouldn't say I…" Regina stammered on.

"It's okay if you missed her, Mom. I know you're her friend. I know you care about each other. And before you try to deny it, just remember I've had the benefit of objective dreaming. In my dreams I saw you and Ma without the history between you and I could tell you both cared." Henry leveled her with the look that let her know there was no need in denying it.

"Yes, I suppose I did miss her too but..." Before Regina could go on, the bell over the door sounded loudly.  _Saved by the bell_. In swaggered the beautiful blonde they have just been discussing with her eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration.

"I take that look to mean things didn't go well with the car," Regina said with a feigned frown of her own. Inwardly her heart was leaping to know Michael Tillman had succeeded in their ruse.

"Yeah," Emma began, "it looks like it's going to take at least a week for them find the problem and locate the parts they need for such an old model car. I guess we're going to be stuck here for a while, kid."

"Stuck here?" Regina said with mock hurt in her eyes.

Pink embarrassment blossomed across Emma's porcelain skin. "I didn't necessarily mean  _stuck here_  as a knock on your town, Regina. I just meant, we may have to alter our plans is all." Emma quickly tried to recover from her unintentional faux pas.

"I'm teasing you, Miss Swan. It is perfectly reasonable for you to wish to continue with your planned itinerary for your vacation. My only wish is that you find this community to your liking enough so the week you are here will not be intolerable," Regina chuckled. "Although, I do hope you have found  _something_ to your liking since you arrived." Regina's voiced dripped honey and she gave Emma a flirtatious wink.

Suddenly the crimson hue was renewed across Emma's face and chest. With the color came an unexpected pull in her low abdomen.  _Why do you have to be so damn sexy?_  Staying in this town wasn't the original plan but it certainly wasn't something the blonde regretted having to do. Making eye contact for a moment, she winked back.

Henry felt something like tension between them and was suddenly uncomfortable though he wasn't quite sure why. He cleared his throat and interrupted. "Maybe we could stay here the whole trip. I mean, I like it here and we are already going to be here a week, so…"

"Well kid, if Mr. Tillman can't find the parts, there may be nothing to discuss. It would be… Pointless? No, that's not the word I'm looking for. It would be..."

"Moot." A sweet voice came from behind Emma's shoulder and she turned to look. "I believe the word you're looking for is moot." Snow White beamed at her daughter.

"Moot?" Emma tried the word on for size. "I think you may be right." Extending her hand towards Snow, she said "Emma Swan."

Frozen for just a moment, Snow maintained eye contact with her daughter and slowly extended her hand and took hold of the blondes. "Hello Emma. I am Mary Margaret Nolan. This is my husband David."

This time it was Regina who cleared her throat. At the sound Snow released Emma's hand and acknowledged Regina. "Madam Mayor," came her singsong voice.

"Mrs. Nolan," Regina said with the tight smile. "Allow me to introduce Miss Swan and her son, Henry. They are visiting with us for a while."

Snow looked back at her daughter, her eyes glassy. She glanced back and forth from Emma to Henry for a moment and suddenly leaned in and hugged the blonde. Everyone at the table's eye flew wide open at the move. What was going on?

"I hope you're finding this to be a lovely place to visit," Snow said, squeezing her daughter tight.

"Well, it certainly is friendly," Emma looked with panic at Regina. Jumping to her feet, Regina finally intervened.

"Mary Margaret!? I was just about to head to the ladies room and I thought of a matter I'd like to discuss with you before our next meeting." Regina then addressed Emma. "Ms. Nolan is on our town council. A moment Mary Margaret?" The mayor nodded toward the back of the diner and Snow reluctantly released Emma from her grasp.

As they walked away Regina called over her shoulder, "Go ahead and order. Ruby knows what my usual choice is. We will be back in a moment."

~ (SQ) ~

"Have you lost your mind?!" For just a moment the pixie haired brunette saw a flash of the old Evil Queen she once knew.

"I'm sorry Regina, I just… I wanted to see her so badly," she whispered.

Seeing the love of a mother reflected in Snow's eyes, now filled with tears, Regina softened. "I know, Snow. I suppose I'm sorry too. But this is a very delicate situation and we have to be careful."

"I understand. I really am sorry, Regina." Snow looked longingly back toward the dining room and continued with a watery smile, "They look good don't they?"

"Yes, they look wonderful. She's… she's changed her hair. I like it," Regina said wistfully.

"And Henry is so tall!" Snow was trying to temper down her excitement so no one would hear them. "And his voice. He sounds like a man!"

"He does," Regina began. Hoping to diffuse some of the tension over the whole situation, she shrugged disappointedly and smirked. "And I was so looking forward to mocking him when his voice started to change and squeak. Now it seems I missed my chance!"

Snow narrowed her eyes and, trying to look serious, she said "You really are evil."

Regina's voice dipped down to a deeper register, one she hadn't used in a long time as she smirked. "You would be wise not to forget that,  _Princess_."

They could hold their seriousness but a moment and they both giggled and fell into a tentative hug. "They're really here," Snow said.

"Yes, they really are. Now if we can just figure out a way to get Emma's memories back," Regina's eyes drifted away to some distant vision for a moment.

"You will! We will together. Don't be discouraged," Snow tried to inject a little hope into the conversation.

"But what if… what if she tries to leave? Now that Henry has his memory… I cannot let them leave, Snow." Regina's voice was thick with emotion.

"Have her arrested," Snow said matter-of-factly.

"Arrested? On what grounds?" Regina smiled at the younger woman before her.

"What does it matter? I'm in good with the sheriff. So if she tries to take off, have David pick her up. It wouldn't be the first time she ended up in the Storybrooke jail instead of leaving town." Both women smiled, remembering the first time Emma had tried to leave all those years ago. "Speaking of the sheriff, we better get back to him before he does something to deserve his  _Idiot #2_ title. I'll take him home so you can get back to business."

Snow turned to head back into the dining room. Regina called out, "Do you think everything is really going to be okay, Snow?" The unmasked vulnerability in Regina's eyes, the tremor in her voice would have made Snow answer to the affirmative regardless of her belief. Remarkably however, she truly did believe it herself.

"Yes, I do, Regina. Everything is going to be okay."

~ (SQ) ~

"So, Mr. Nolan… what do you do?" Emma was trying to break the silence by making small talk with the man Regina and Mrs. Nolan had left with her. The man was attractive enough, but he was creeping Emma out. He had just been sitting there in Regina's vacated seat smiling at her and Henry for the last two minutes straight.

"Well, believe it or not,  _I_  am the sheriff. And please, call me David." If it were possible, his smile brightened as he answered.

"Sheriff? Wow, that's impressive. I'm in law enforcement myself… sort of." Emma nodded at Ruby behind the counter to indicate they were ready to order. She had caught the waitress staring.  _What is with these people?_

"Well, to be honest, I am just the acting sheriff. Our elected sheriff, uh,  _moved away_  a bit ago. So you are in law enforcement too? What do you do, Emma?" David was now smiling broadly at Henry. Emma was surprised to see how engaged her son was in returning his grin. He was normally a friendly boy, but since arriving in this seaside hamlet even Henry was behaving strangely.

"Oh, I've been a bounty hunter for years but I recently changed jobs. I'm working with a private investigating firm. And for the last year or so I've been a desk jockey more than I've been in the field. It was too dangerous to chase down the villains with the Kid waiting at home, you know?" Emma couldn't describe just what had made her change jobs or why she felt an urge to explain it all to this total stranger.

"Well, if you ever want to move to Maine, I could always use a deputy," David beamed another winning smile at her and winked. It wasn't a flirtatious wink,  _not like Regina's_. No, there was something akin to familial affection in the way he was addressing her.  _Weird._

"Are we ready to order?" Ruby had sidled up to the table, her order pad in hand.

"Hi Ruby," Henry said with a smile. "I think I'll have a burger and fries."

"Hi Henry," Ruby winked. "So burger and fries. No tomato?" At Emma's suspicious look Ruby went on, "Not many kids want the tomato."

"Right, no tomato. And could I get a lemonade?" Henry quickly pushed past the almost mistake they had made.

"Ok, well I think I'll have a grilled cheese and onion rings. Just bring me a root beer to drink. And the Mayor said she'd have her usual. She was sure you knew what that means." Emma glanced at the leggy brunette beside the booth. Her skirt was sinfully short and left little to the imagination.  _Not near as sensual as that tailored skirt Regina's wearing._ Emma shook her head. She had to stop objectifying the Mayor. She had been nothing but nice to her.  _Geez, Swan. Get it together._

"Alrighty. Burger and fries, no tomato with a lemonade, grilled cheese with onion rings and root beer and one mayoral special. Be back in just a sec with your drinks." Ruby turned and headed back to the kitchen.

"Dressing on the side," Emma called to Ruby's retreating form.  _What?_

For a moment the entire diner froze. All eyes fell on Ruby, to see how she would respond. All eyes except for Regina's. She was staring in shock at Emma from just behind David.

"Right, dressing on the side," Ruby stammered as she scurried into the kitchen without looking back. Everyone went back to their lunch, some whispering and glancing at Emma.

"I don't know what made me say that," Emma mumbled to herself. She glanced up at Regina who was now resuming her seat in the booth across from her as David and Mary Margaret headed toward the door.

"It was lovely meeting you Emma, perhaps we will see each other again. Bye Henry!" Snow waved as she drug Charming by the hand down the steps and into the street.

"Sorry that took so long, dear. I hope our sheriff wasn't too much of a bore." Regina decided not to mention the salad dressing.  _It probably means nothing. There is no reason to make a big deal out of it. Just because Emma knew I take my dressing on the side doesn't mean anything. So what if no one had said I was getting a salad. So what. It doesn't mean anything._  Too bad Regina's heart didn't agree as it found a permanent home in her throat. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, trying to remain calm. She darted her eyes to Henry, silently pleading with him to act normal.

"I like him. I bet being a sheriff is cool," Henry plowed ahead with a smile.

~ (SQ) ~

The rest of their lunch went off without a hitch. The townsfolk stayed away. Ruby tried to be professional and distant. The conversation focused on safe subjects and the earlier oddities were all but forgotten when Regina's phone rang.

"My apologies Miss Swan. Mind if I take this?" Regina would normally have declined the call under the circumstances, but it was Belle.  _Has she found something already?_

"Sure, go ahead. You are the Mayor after all. Duty calls," Emma couldn't stop herself from winking as the brunette stood.

"Thanks. I'll just be a moment," Regina said as she ducked into the hall to the bed and breakfast once more. "Miss French, I hope you are calling with good news. Although we have only been gone a short time so I do not see how you could have—"

"I found something!" Belle cut Regina off. "I can't believe it but it was literally in the first place I looked. It's some sort of potion to restore memories. I assume it is bookmarked from the time when Rumple was trying to restore my memory. I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for or not but—"

Now it was Regina's turn to cut Belle off mid-sentence. "I will meet you at my vault in an hour. Could this possibly all be over in less than 24 hours of them arriving?"

"I certainly hope so, Regina. For Snow and David's sake. And for yours too. I'll meet you in one hour." And with that, the line went dead.

Regina stood staring at her phone. She wasn't sure how to feel. Of course she wanted Emma to remember. It was more than she could have dared to dream that Henry would already have regained his memories of her, never mind the love and acceptance he had given her after a year apart. And now, to think that in a few short hours Emma could remember too… it was too much to believe.

But there was another feeling dancing at the edge of Regina's heart. One she wasn't ready just yet to name. She wanted Emma to remember but a part of her wasn't ready to see those green eyes dawn with the remembrance of who Regina had once been. This Emma only knew the kind and benevolent Mayor, the good Regina, the hero Regina. This Emma knew nothing of curses or Evil Queens or battles for Henry's affection. Was she ready to go back to being… whatever it was they had become?

But it was pointless to consider. If she could restore Emma's memory today, of course she would. It was the right thing to do. It was the only thing to do. It was what love would do. _Love…_ Regina squared her shoulders once more and headed back into the diner.

"I'm sorry Miss Swan, Henry, but I have a matter of urgent town business that I cannot delay on. I am afraid our tour of Storybrooke will have to end before it has even begun," Regina didn't miss the instant look of disappointment in Emma's green eyes nor the confusion in Henry's.

"That's ok. We certainly don't want to keep you from your work. Right Kid?" Emma nudged Henry and he grunted his agreement, still looking at Regina in confusion. "And please, it's just Emma, remember?"

"Yes, of course Emma. I feel terrible leaving you here with no transportation. I am certain Miss Lucas would let you borrow her car if you need to go somewhere that you cannot reach on foot. I insist we resume our tour again tomorrow. And I will not take no for an answer." Regina spoke with the regal authority that told the pair seated at the table that no really was not an option. She hoped her next request would both smooth out Henry's furrowed brow and be well received by his blonde mother. "I would also like the two of you to join me for dinner tonight at my house. I will come round for you at six."

"Oh Regina, you don't need to do that. Really. It isn't your fault we are having such a rough trip. You've already done more than enough." Emma wanted to accept the invitation, but something, whether her pride or worry that Regina was just being nice and didn't really want them, something was making it hard to just say yes.

Regina merely arched a perfect brow and smirked at Emma as she sauntered toward the diner door. Emma turned to watch her walking away.  _Damn, I wonder if she looks as good coming as she does going._ Bright red embarrassment raced across Emma's face as she considered the double meaning of her thoughts.  _Easy Swan, what is your problem?_

Not entirely oblivious to the blonde's eyes tracking her across the room, Regina turned at the door and called back, "Six o'clock Miss Swan. I hope you and Henry like lasagna."

 


	8. Talk to Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Since so many of you are interesting in this story being wrapped up, I am trying to condense a great deal of story into a small space. There will be a few more chapter versus the 15 to 20 that I had planned. I don't think that will hurt the integrity or meaning of the story.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading this story and for letting me hear from you. This was my first multi-chapter fic so it means a lot to see it coming to a conclusion finally.
> 
> And thank you a million Jenn for always reading and helping me with my stories. You will never know what a boost you have been to my confidence and desire to write.

Regina paced about the kitchen. This had been an eventful day. In a few hours her life had gone from miserable and empty to having Henry back with all his memories and soon, _soon,_ Emma.

She had made sure the house was free of any sign of Henry or Emma having been there before. No photos, no trinkets, no video games. She had to make Emma believe this was only her second visit or else risk scaring her off. She couldn't afford to lose her before she had her.

The lasagna was hot and beside the apple cobbler in the warmer. She had set the table and opened the wine. She had changed her outfit no less than eight times and spent far too long in front of the mirror. She wasn't vain. That wasn't it at all. She just wanted to be at her best. And looking good made her feel in control.

_And the last thing I feel right now is in control._

Regina sighed and picked up her keys, checking herself one last time in the hall mirror. She was going to be late if she didn't hurry up. She had to arrive right at six. Not a minute sooner lest she seem eager. Not later or they may think she wasn't coming. She shook her head at herself and let out a breath of stale air. She'd forgotten to breathe. She was being silly. Everything would be fine. It would all be fine.

~ (SQ) ~

"I'm just saying, don't you think these people are… weird? I mean, they act… off." Emma was adjusting her collar as Henry moved from the door to the window and back again.

"Weird? No. I think they are all pretty nice. Especially Regina. I like her." Henry smiled at his mother. He was excited to see his other mother again soon. They needed a moment alone to talk about getting Emma's memories back. _Maybe this is time for an Operation._

"Don't get me wrong, I like her too. But… ugh. I don't know. Maybe it's me being a cynical old lady but people just aren't this nice, Henry. Something is up." Emma adjusted her collar again and pulled at the cuffs. "Does this look ok?"

"Hmm? What?" Henry glanced at his mother, tearing his eyes away from the Storybrooke street below.

"This. Does it look ok?" Emma gestured to her shirt.

"Um, yeah. Sure. You look fine. Are you ready now? We can't be late. She'll—" Henry smiled at the street as Regina's car pulled up. "She's here! Let's go."

The boy bounded out the door, his mother calling after him to slow down and wait for her. Pulling the door to the room closed, she rolled her eyes and said mostly to herself, "Something is definitely up with this woman."

~ (SQ) ~

The evening had been a nice one. The food was delicious and both Emma and Henry had moaned and went on about how amazing the lasagna was. The blonde had confessed that she too made a lasagna but it wasn't quite as good as this one.

Regina had stood to get the dessert when Emma's cell phone sounded in her pocket.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Regina. I thought I turned this off." She glanced at the screen and noted it was her boss calling. "It's work. Would it… I mean, would you mind if I took this?"

Regina smiled and nodded, indicating it was fine. "Please, feel free to use my study for some privacy if you like."

Emma gratefully grinned and dashed into the room, "Hello, Frank! Yeah, we are having a great time." Her voice faded as the door clicked closed behind her.

"Well, I guess we will wait on the dessert." Regina sat again and smiled at her son. She reached over and squeezed his hand on the table top. "I've missed this. I've missed you… so very much."

Henry squeezed her hand in return. "Me too, Mom. I'm so glad to be home." For a moment they just enjoyed being together but Henry's mind was going in a million different directions. "So, how are we going to fix this?"

Regina withdrew her hand and sat back in her seat. "I don't know, dear. I honestly don't know. But we will. Right now the important thing is to keep her here and happy until I am able to sort this out."

Henry nodded. "Ok. Then that's what we will do. Happy Ma, in Storybrooke. Got it." The boy hesitated a moment as he fingered at his napkin on the table. "Mom?"

"Yes, son?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

Regina quirked an eyebrow. "Of course. You can ask me anything."

"Well, see, I was having all these dreams about you guys but… I mean… I dreamed about you and me getting dinner ready and Emma coming over. It was the first dream I had with your name in it or with you and Ma interacting. So… why'd I dream that? That never happened." Henry raised curious green eyes to meet her thoughtful brown.

"So you dreamed of us, the three of us, having dinner… like this?" Regina crossed her arms and pulled absentmindedly on her bottom lip, thinking about his words.

"Yeah. I mean, not _just_ like tonight, but we made lasagna and she showed up on time. We all laughed about that. And you both seemed… happy. Like friends. Like we ate dinner together all the time. Why would I dream that?"

"I suppose that is just another thing we don't know, Henry. Your mother and I had discussed in Neverland that when we got you back and returned home we would try to do things differently. We were both so distraught and we realized we needed to work together to make things better. So… we had agreed to weekly dinners but, there is no way you could know that." Regina shrugged. "Maybe your memories were trying to make themselves known and family dinner was something you had been subconsciously wanting for us."

Henry nodded. "Maybe." He paused a beat. "Can I ask you something else?"

"You know you can. What is it?" Regina leaned on her elbow on the table and smiled at her beautiful son. _Mine and Emma's son._

"Did you do something to Ma to make her… I don't know… more _healthy?"_ Henry wrinkled his nose at the word.

"More _healthy?_ What do you mean?"

"Like, she makes me drink milk with dinner. She never lets me have soda except for special occasions. She even cooks me a real breakfast everyday instead of cold Pop-tarts and cola. Did you do that?"

Regina's face colored with embarrassment. "I don't know what you mean, dear."

"You did! Oh my god! You made her healthy when you gave her the new memories, didn't you?" Henry grinned and poked Regina playfully in her side making her squeak.

"I _may_ have put a few memories in her mind that made her more conscious of her health, yes. I wanted to be sure you had something more than pizza and cheese-whiz for supper every night." Regina arched a proud brow high and pretended to be bored with this line of talk.

"And her clothes? You did that too, didn't you?"

"Don't look so smug. It isn't a good look for you." Regina folded her arms again in a pout. "So, I helped her look her best. Not every occasion calls for jeans and leather. I needed her to be able to get a good job so you wouldn't be living in that death trap of a car. People will hire an attractive woman in nice clothes even if she isn't very experienced."

Henry studied her a moment. The way she had said attractive made something in Henry's mind click into place. In his dream journal, without his proper memories, his dreams had implied his two mothers were more to each other than enemies turned friends. In fact, he'd assumed they were a couple. He hadn't given it another thought since the book had returned his memories, but now…

"Attractive?" Henry raised a quizzical brow.

"What?" Regina registered then what she had said.

"You said Ma was attractive."

"Well… yes… I did. And she is. Anyone can see that. She… she… she has nice hair and a not awful face and she obviously works out. So, as I would say that Snow is pretty… I can also say Emma is attractive." Regina snapped her mouth shut to stop her word vomit as Henry's eyes bore into her.

"Ok. Sure. And you just had her eating healthy so that she would make me eat healthy, right? It wasn't because you cared about her health. I mean, Ma hasn't had a cheese burger in a year… not one… but that was what… just a part of the package to keep me well fed?"

Regina stood abruptly. "I'd better check on the cobbler."

Henry merely followed her into the kitchen. "It's ok, Mom. If you care about Emma's health and happiness, no one would think it was weird."

Regina glared at the boy. She hadn't meant him to follow her into the kitchen and continue his questions. "Well, ok. I can admit that. I do care about Miss Swan. I didn't wish her to die of a heart attack and leave you alone in the world. And I wanted her to be happy in her new life with you. Of course I did. Why wouldn't I? She and I haven't always gotten along but… well, I am aware that over time we have become something like friends and… well, we have been able to do more together as allies than as enemies. So, sure. I'm sending her away, for what at the time was meant to be forever, with our son and… naturally I would want her to be happy. To be safe. To be well taken care of. So she could take care of you. And so you would both live a good life. So I made some minor changes to her appetite and her taste in clothes. So what? After all we've been through, it was the least I could do. There. Are you happy? I admit it. I care about Emma. But don't make more of it than there is."

Henry's chin fell to his chest and his eyes bugged out. For a moment, his mother's ramblings had struck him silent. She stood before him, wringing her hands and trying very hard to seem casual. It wasn't working in the least.

"Oh. My. God. You love her, don't you?"

"What?!" Regina nearly shrieked, her voice coming out much louder than she intended. In a calmer tone she went on. "Don't be silly, Henry. I don't love her. I care about her. But I don't—"

"You _do!_ You totally love Emma! This is huge! Oh my god! This is… this is… Oh my god!" Henry hadn't considered when he began this line of questioning just what his mom loving Emma could mean.

"I _do not_ love her. We are barely friends. And she… she… even if I did love her, which I do not, she would never love me, Henry. So, just drop this, ok?" Regina hoped her son was listening to her but he was rambling to himself.

"It's perfect really. I mean, I always thought Emma would come and destroy the Evil Queen and I guess in a way she did because you aren't her anymore but wow… I never thought about this. I mean…" Henry looked up at his mom to address her for the first time since he went on a tangent. "Emma was meant to bring back _all_ the happy endings, Mom. And now… she _is_ yours. How cool is that!"

Regina looked shocked. "You mean… you wouldn't be upset if I loved Emma? You… you like the idea of us being together?"

"Of course I like the idea! What kid wouldn't want his parents to be happy together? This is great! We can get Ma to remember with True Love's kiss… from you! And then, when she remembers we can be a family. A real family together!"

Henry was so excited about his perfect plan, he didn't notice the sadness on Regina's face. "But, Henry, if she gets… I mean, when she gets her memories back, she won't want to be with me. I'm… I've done too much in my life to ever be accepted by her."

Henry smiled so wide his face nearly split in half. "So… you admit you _do_ love her. Don't you?"

Color washed over Regina's face. She hadn't realized that she had inadvertently admitted it by no longer denying it. She sighed. She couldn't lie to Henry. "I do. I love her very much."

Henry launched himself into her arms. "Then everything is going to be fine. I love you. I love her. You love her and soon, she will know she loves you too and everything will be fine. We can call it Operation—"

"No. No operations, Henry. Stay out of this. If Emma loves me… well, that is something between us. But I agree, somehow everything is going to work out. I just know it." Regina hugged her son close to her and hoped she would come to believe what she had just said to him soon.

_Everything will be fine._


	9. Reconsider Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: **********THIS IS A DOUBLE CHAPTER UPDATE*********
> 
> Don't want you to miss the previous chapter. This was a double update.

Over the next few days, Emma and Henry spent nearly every minute with Regina. It had stopped seeming odd to Emma after the second morning when Regina had swaggered into the diner and eaten breakfast with them. Apparently, this was how it was going to be now.

Something like a friendship had begun to form between them. They joked, they laughed. And if Emma was honest, they flirted. A lot. But that was easy to do with someone like Regina.

Knowing her car would be ready at the end of the week, Emma decided to just roll with it. Besides, there were far worse things in life than spending her vacation with a beautiful woman. Try as she might, Emma couldn't stop her mind from thinking of how sexy she looked, how quick her wit and clever her conversation. Regina Mills was the living embodiment of everything Emma had ever found attractive in a woman before. So she was leaving soon… it was ok to day dream until then.

_But it isn't probably ok to pretend you are a family walking in the park, eating ice cream, Swan._

Emma shook her head and tried to listen to what Regina was saying about a well in the woods nearby that was supposed to restore lost things. _Beautiful, funny and so damn perfect._

~ (SQ) ~

The week was almost over and soon Michael would have the bug ready to roll. Regina wasn't making the kind of progress she would like, but she was enjoying just being with Emma and Henry. In a way, she liked getting to know Emma like this… without the baggage and the fighting that had been the beginning of their relationship. She liked Emma never knowing she had been the Evil Queen. But, if they were to stay and Emma to be complete, she would have to remember.

_Think about that later, Regina._

Regina laughed as she watched Emma and Henry gleefully reenacting an incident in New York. Emma had bumped into a rather large woman and caused her to spill her coffee. She was trying to apologize and help clear the mess when the woman's small son had come up and kicked her in the shin, knocking Emma onto her rear on the sidewalk.

"Poor Emma, are you always prone to clumsiness?" Regina teased with a wink.

"No. I am not always clumsy. Sometimes I am downright graceful." Emma straightened and pulled out her wallet, sending Henry to get them all a lemonade from the concession vendor. "In fact, some of my dance moves are a thing of beauty… or so I've been told."

Emma dropped onto the bench by Regina, closer than was strictly necessary and her leg brushed against the brunette's. Regina felt it like a shockwave through her body. Emma's magic may still be unknown to her, but Regina felt it gaining strength… and it was delicious.

"If you say so." Regina smirked.

"What? You doubt me?" Emma feigned shock.

"Well, in my brief time knowing you dear, you haven't exactly been… well… light on your feet. You've nearly fallen twice just today." Regina shrugged. She was baiting her and wondered if Emma knew it.

"Oh… you are in trouble now, Regina. Get up." Emma jumped to her feet and extended her hand to pull the brunette from her seat.

"What?"

"I said, get up." This time Emma reached and took Regina by the arm and pulled her up.

"My, so strong. Now, Emma… just what is it you have in mind for me?" Regina purred, finally catching Emma's intent.

Emma's face blushed with color but her eyes never lost their determined glitter. "What I have in mind… is to show you how very graceful I can be."

Suddenly Regina was pulled flush to Emma's body and encircled in her arms. "Emma… what—"

"Just hush and let me lead." Emma grinned and began to sing quietly under her breath. Slowly she danced with Regina. In front of the bench. In the park. As if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"And I'll never make you sad again 'cause I swear, I've changed since then. And I'll never make you sorry if you try. Let's let bygones be forgotten. Reconsider me… reconsider me." Emma's voice sang sweetly into the air between them.

Regina looked into green eyes and knew that they were giving her away. She couldn't stop the love, the longing, the happiness at being with Emma like this from spilling forth. Emma's singing faded out but they kept dancing to music only they could hear, gazing deep into each other and both feeling more than they were able to express in words.

Emma stopped swaying with Regina but didn't let her go. She just stood with her arms wrapped around the woman and for a moment, Regina wondered if she was going to kiss her. Instead, she cleared her throat awkwardly and released her.

"Wonder what is keeping the kid with our drinks. I'm suddenly very thirsty." Emma rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"Me too." Regina husked. If she'd ever doubted how she felt about Emma, she couldn't lie to herself about it now.

"Here we go! Three lemonades. And I will be keeping the change for my troubles." Henry ran up carefully balancing the drinks. "Is everything alright?" Even their son felt the tension in the air.

"Yep. Everything's fine, kid." Emma accepted her drink with a smile. "I think I'll go call Mr. Tillman and see if my car is about ready."

Regina nodded and sat back down. When Henry sat beside her, his eyes followed Emma until she was a safe distance away. "What's going on, Mom?"

"Nothing, dear. Everything is fine." Regina gulped down her lemonade and suddenly wished it was something stronger. She had to make Emma remember before she was gone and it was too late.

~ (SQ) ~

"Well, he said it is ready but he hadn't gotten time to call me yet." Emma sat on the other side of her son on the arm of the bench. "Looks like we can head on up the road."

"What?!" Regina couldn't hide the shock in her voice. She had specifically told Michael not to fix the car.

"But, Ma… I'm enjoying it here." Henry was panicking and it showed in his voice.

"I know, Kid. But we can't just hang out here forever. And I'm sure Regina needs to get back to her life. We've taken up enough of her time as it is." Emma didn't make eye contact with either of them as she spoke.

Regina knew then what was up. Emma was scared and she was running. Was she really feeling something for Regina already? Of course she was. Regina was sure of it. And in classic Emma form she was going to run away.

"Well, you haven't been a burden to me, Emma. I've enjoyed being with you and with Henry. I'd like to think you have enjoyed being with me." She smiled at the blonde, willing her to look at her.

Green eyes locked onto brown for a long moment. "Be that as it may, we really need to get going. So, if you wouldn't mind taking us back to the bed and breakfast, we should be moving on. I think we might be able to reach Rockland tonight if I can find my way back to the interstate."

"Now?! You want to leave now? But Ma—" Henry was visibly shaken by her words. He wasn't ready to go. She hadn't remembered yet. This was all wrong.

"No buts, Henry. We are going." Emma stood and started walking toward Regina's Mercedes.

A light hand on Henry's arm stilled his next cry of resistance. "Henry, don't fight her on this. It will be ok. I promise. I don't know how. But it will. Trust me."

The two brunettes hugged quickly and began a somber walk behind the blonde.

~ (SQ) ~

Regina sat in her study, quietly nursing her second tumbler of cider. It wasn't strong enough and she had already decided to switch to something with a little more burn when she finished this one. The day hadn't gone as she had hoped.

She had tried to convince Emma to wait until the morning to leave but she was stubborn and insisted she was going now. Henry had fought back tears as he said goodbye to her on the sidewalk in front of Granny's with a respectable handshake. They were supposed to be little more than strangers after all.

She had dashed to see Michael then, to question him about the bug. He had smiled sheepishly and told her that he had drug it out as long as he felt he could. But Emma had been so harsh on the phone earlier he had been forced to tell her it was indeed ready.

Regina considered killing him on the spot and would have singed his hair at a minimum if not for Nicolas peering with wide eyes from the other side of a car in for an oil change. Instead she had called him an incompetent imbecile and stormed out.

This couldn't be happening. She couldn't let them go. A call from Snow had come next. Ruby had rung her to say Emma was checking out of the bed and breakfast. Did that mean she was leaving?

"Yes, she is and I don't know how to stop it short of kidnapping her. What should I do, Snow?" Regina's voice was frantic. She didn't know what to do.

Snow took a deep breath. If Regina was asking for her advice then she must be at the end of her rope. "Don't yell at me for giving a hope speech but… everything is going to be ok, Regina. We just have to believe. Emma belongs here. With us. With you. And nothing can stop that from happening. She showed up on your doorstep a week ago out of the blue. So I know… _I know_ that it will be ok. This is just a test. Heroes always face tests on the quest for a happy ending."

Regina had rolled her eyes and hung up shortly after that. She knew in her heart Snow was right. But her brain was not willing to concede so easily. This was bad. She just knew it was. And she was about to lose them all over again.

It was getting dark now and Regina was sure Emma and Henry were well on their way to Rockland by now. Taking another swallow of her cider she steeled her resolve. Tonight she would allow herself to wallow in it. But tomorrow… tomorrow she would think of something.

A knock on the front door pulled her from her thoughts. Who could it be?

Regina pulled open the door and gasped.

"Hi." Emma looked embarrassed but Henry was smiling brightly.

"Emma? Henry? I thought… I thought you were leaving." Regina gripped the door frame to help her stay upright. Twice in one week they'd appeared on her doorstep.

"Yeah, about that. We got to the town line and the bug… she gave out on us again. I guess I shouldn't have rushed Michael, huh? Could we… could we come in and call a wrecker?" Emma shoved her hands into her back pockets and rocked onto the balls of her feet with a grin.

"Of course. Come in." Regina stepped back and let them in.

While Emma talked to Michael, Regina set about making a fast dinner for them. Henry explained that, as if by magic (and certainly it was), the bug had sputtered and stopped along the side of the road leading out of town. He and Emma had again walked the long walk to town and straight to her house.

Emma didn't seem to want to stay for supper but Regina insisted. So, as they had every night this week, they three sat down and ate together at the big dining table. They laughed and after a while, it was as if the tension of the day had fled and everything was back on track. Henry went into the living room to watch TV and Regina invited Emma into her study for a cider.

"Emma," she began tentatively. "I hope you weren't rushing out of town on my account. When we were dancing earlier, I—"

"No, Regina. It… it isn't your fault. I just…" Emma sighed heavily. "Look, the truth is, I am attracted to you. And when we were dancing I got the impression you might be… attracted to me too. And I guess it sorta scared me because… well you live here and we live in New York and I barely even know you. You know? It isn't your fault. I just…" Emma looked at her from the sofa where she had sat down. Regina still stood by the sidebar with two drinks in her hands. "You're really beautiful, you know."

Regina blushed and handed Emma her drink, taking a seat beside her. "You are quite beautiful yourself, Emma." Regina took a sip of her drink and watched Emma closely. "And you weren't wrong today. I do find you attractive. In fact, I find you very attractive and I understand your being nervous about it all. But I see no harm in us sharing a mutual attraction and enjoying our time while you are here. As friends?"

Emma smiled and drank her drink in one big gulp. "As friends? Maybe. But… well… it's not exactly friendship that came to mind in the park." Glancing to the sidebar, Emma stood. "Got anything stronger than this? I need a real drink."

Regina nodded and sipped her cider again. Emma poured herself a scotch and drank it down quickly too. Another scotch poured, she sat back down.

"So… I guess I just made this very awkward, huh?" Emma nudged the coffee table with her foot.

Regina put a hand on her leg to still her movements against the furniture. "No. You didn't. In fact, I'm glad it is out in the open. So why don't we just talk about something else and maybe revisit that discussion when you are more comfortable with it?"

Emma nodded thankfully at the other woman. _So damn perfect._

~ (SQ) ~

"Well, I gotta tell you, Gina. I need to get the hell outta here before I kiss you or something stupid." Emma's glazed eyes traced Regina's lips even as her fingers intertwined with Regina's. "I've had a little too much to drink. Call me a cab?"

"Ok. You're a cab." Regina giggled. She too was feeling the effects of her generous libation consumption.

Emma laughed with her and soon Henry was opening the door. "Uh, Ma? Are you guys alright?"

"Henry!" Both women exclaimed together at the boy.

"Hey Kid, me and Gina are just having a drink. How about we stay a few more days in Storybook. Stoneybrooke." Emma looked confused.

"Storybrooke, dear." Regina tucked a blonde lock behind her ear.

"Uh… yeah. I think that would be cool." Henry frowned. "Are you guys drunk?"

"Maybe." Regina giggled and tried to drink from an already empty tumbler.

Henry rolled his eyes and huffed. "Ok. Let's get the two of you to bed."

With a great deal of struggle, Henry helped his mother's upstairs. Regina to her room and Emma across the hall. He helped them both out of their shoes and put them in bed fully clothed. He kissed each of them on the head and told them goodnight. It seemed each of them fell asleep before he was out of their rooms.

Putting a bottle of water by each bed and a couple of Tylenol along with it, Henry shook his head at these women he loved so much. He made his way into his old room, changed into some pajamas and fell into bed. He could only hope they would be ready soon to kiss and bring Emma's memories back. He was getting tired of waiting.

"Sweet dreams, moms." He whispered into the air as he drifted to sleep.


	10. If You Ever Did Believe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes at the end of this chapter...

"Emma…"

The voice is like silk against her skin.

"Emma… wake up."

The sensual whisper is near her ear and even in her sleep addled state, Emma can feel goosebumps forming along her skin at the sound.

"Emma… _please_... wake up. I want you… I need you… touch me, Emma…"

Teeth bite down tenderly on her earlobe and before her eyes can even open, Emma feels warmth pooling in her core.

"Regina?" She knows it is the other woman, knows it like she knows her own name. Her voice is like honey sliding from her tongue onto Emma's skin. How was it that in such a short time she had already memorized the scent of her, not just the expensive perfume she wore, or the shampoo scent lingering in her raven hair… but the scent of _her?_ "Regina, what—"

"Shhhh." A finger fell gently against Emma's lips, silencing her questions. "We have to be quiet."

Emma opened her eyes. Even in the dim light of the moon spilling through a break in the drapes, Emma could see cognac irises looking at her from above. The other woman's shoulder, naked but for a string trying to hold up her nightgown, seemed to glow in the silver light. On reflex Emma's hand flew up to grip a silk covered waist.

"Regina… what are you doing?" The blonde whispered, remembering that Henry was somewhere close.

"Something we've both wanted for a long time." Regina's full lips fell against Emma's then and kissed her softly. Emma was helpless against it. She did want this… so badly. In the back of her mind though she wondered how knowing this woman only a week could possibly be called a long time.

Her thoughts were silenced by a nip on her bottom lip, soothed by a warm tongue. Suddenly Emma wanted to know nothing except the taste of this woman beyond full lips. She ached to slide her tongue against golden skin. With wanton desperation, she needed to know every inch of her intimately.

But it was Regina who deepened the kiss first. Yes… it was honey that made her voice drip from sinful lips. Honey under her tongue that Emma was all too happy to steal. She moaned into the mouth above her and got one in return. Regina's mouth moved and soon was against her throat. Teeth nipped and tongue laved until Emma was sure she could endure no more without crying out into the darkness.

The exploring mouth continued until it was back at her ear, whispering hotly against her skin words too provocative to resist. A serpentine tongue danced against that most sensitive place beneath her ear stoking the warmth at the apex of her thighs. Perfect white teeth bit down hard, marking her, and Emma's back arched off the bed in response. She had never felt such desire and she knew she would never get enough.

Easing her mouth down, Regina lapped against the soft mounds of Emma's breasts peeking out from the top of her tank top. A slender leg moved between the blonde's own and pressed against her mound, changing glowing warmth to a raging fire. She gasped at the contact and rolled her hips forward toward the dark angel above her.

Not willing to be a pillow queen for anyone, Emma cleared her mind of the haze of arousal and grabbed Regina's tiny waist tighter, flipping them. Her mouth crashed against Regina's and kissed her deeply. Her mind was free from thoughts of anything but this woman and the burning trail her hands were leaving as they smoothed up Emma's back under her shirt. Above the object of her desire, looking down through a curtain of flaxen curls into the perfect face beneath her, Emma felt her heart swell with feelings she was afraid to name. She gazed into brown eyes and saw full lips pulled into a perfect smile… but there were tears in her eyes.

_Tears?_

"Regina? Are you alright?" Emma stopped moving against the woman beneath her.

In a flash Emma was standing in the road near the place she and Henry had broken down. It was bright and cold and Regina was holding her hand, tears in her eyes. Emma felt confused but unable to do anything about it.

"My gift to you is good memories… a good life for you…" Regina paused and reached back for Henry. Only now did Emma see the people, a few she recognized from her time in town, standing behind Regina. And beyond them an eerie green smoke rolled toward them. "…and Henry. You'll have never given him up. You'll have always been together." Regina was crying now, her voice breaking as Henry stood next to Emma.

Emma could feel the wind stinging against her face. Was she crying too? But why? What was happening? She heard her own voice speak in a disbelieving whisper. "You would do that?"

Regina went on but Emma couldn't hear her for the sound of her own shouts inside her head.

_No! This is wrong! Don't do this! We should be together. There has to be another way. Please don't send me away, Regina, please!_

The sound was deafening and drowning out the voice of… was it Mary Margaret?... now speaking to her. She didn't know what was happening but she knew she didn't want it.

Her body moved without her permission and soon she and Henry were driving away from Regina and the others. She watched in the rearview as purple light shot from Regina's gloved hands and into the green smoke. In a moment, they all disappeared… but Regina faded out last, a silhouette watching them go until she was invisible too.

"Regina!"

Emma sat up with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. Rapidly blinking, she looked around in confusion. Where was she? What was going on? Was she dreaming?

_But it felt so real…_

"Emma? Emma, are you ok?" Regina appeared in the doorway, wrapped in a gray silk robe and looking rather disheveled.

"Yeah? I dunno. I… where am I?" Green eyes tried not to look at long legs visible in the not fully closed robe. Darting up to look into brown, Emma felt her heart breaking but she didn't know why. She refused the tears trying to escape her tired eyes.

Regina eased closer with a calming hand held in front of her. "You are in my guest room. Apparently we both had a bit too much to drink last night and Henry helped us to bed. Smart young man… he knew you couldn't make it back to Granny's like that." Coming closer still, Regina sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you alright? I was just going down to make us some breakfast when I heard you crying in your sleep and then you called for me."

Emma reached slim fingers up to her face. It was indeed wet with tears. "I… I, uh, I guess I had a bad dream. Nothing serious. Thanks for… you know… checking on me." Emma gave a lopsided grin and looked away, embarrassed.

"Are you sure you are ok?" Regina's own fingers closed around Emma's hand and squeezed gently.

The blonde stared at the hands and remembered the hands from her dream, desperate and sad, holding onto each other. She pulled her hand away and smiled. "Yeah. It's all good. Thanks."

Regina eyed her curiously for a moment and hesitantly stood. "Well, if you are sure… I will go make you a nice, strong cup of coffee. You may use my bathroom if you like to shower. Henry is in the guest bath." A worried look passed over Regina's face as she stepped toward the door. "My room is just down the hall."

Emma forced a smile and nodded. As the door closed behind Regina, she flopped back onto her back. It was just a dream… but why did it feel so real?

_No more cider for you, Swan._

~ (SQ) ~

Regina stood at the counter in the kitchen, a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. She knew something was wrong with Emma, but she wasn't sure just what. The way she had called out Regina's name in her sleep… and the tears? Why was she crying?

"Morning, Mom. Is Ma up yet?" Henry's arms slipped around his mother's waist and he squeezed tight. She hadn't even heard him coming down the stairs.

"Yes, she… she's awake. But something is wrong, Henry. She had a nightmare and she was crying when I went to check on her." Regina frowned and took another sip of the soothing black liquid in her cup.

"A nightmare?" Henry stopped with his hand on a bowl in the cabinet above him. "You don't think she had a memory do you?"

The boy set the bowl on the island and put a hand on his mother's arm. Could Emma finally be getting some of her memories back?

"I don't know. She didn't tell me anything about the dream and I didn't want to push—"

"Didn't want to push?!" Henry's voice was incredulous. "Since when do you not push? No offense, Mom, but pushing is sort of you and Ma's thing."

Regina looked away from the boy. He was right. She wouldn't have hesitated to push to find out what she wanted to know under normal circumstances… but this wasn't normal. Part of her was not ready to know… not ready for Emma to remember.

"Mom? Is there something you aren't telling me here? We almost left town yesterday. We don't have time to waste on this. Ma's _got_ to get her memories back. What if she was dreaming a memory?" Henry moved so he could catch his mother's eye but she still looked away. "Mom? Seriously. What's going on?"

"Nothing, Henry. I just…" Brown eyes darted from Henry's face to the coffee maker to the empty bowl on the island and back.

"You just what?" The boy who was swiftly becoming a man squeezed his mother's arm gently.

Regina drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. "I just don't know if I'm ready for her to remember yet." The woman frowned and looked ashamed at her own words.

"What?! But why? If she doesn't remember soon she's going to take me back to New York! I mean, unless the curse won't let us leave and then who knows! Maybe the car will break down… or she will wreck like she did when she first came here. Do you want that? I don't understand." The boy's eyes flashed with disbelief and Regina saw Emma in them. He was so much like her sometimes.

"No, of course I don't want that!" Regina folded her arms protectively across her stomach and backed away from him. "I want her to remember. I do, Henry. But…"

"But what?" His voice was small and it cut through to her heart.

"But… I _love_ her, Henry. And things are going nicely between us. She… she seems to even feel something for me. When we were dancing in the park… I saw it. I could see it in her eyes. She's falling in love with me, too." Regina paused. Her voice was thick with emotion.

"Ok. So what's the problem? Isn't that a good thing? Maybe she's dreaming memories because the whole True Love thing is trying to happen." Henry huffed and planted his hands on his hips, looking more like Regina than anyone. "You'll have to explain better than that, Mom."

Regina turned from her son and sat her mug in the sink. Gripping the counter she looked out over her yard as the soft morning light made the dew on the grass glisten. It was beautiful. But soon it disappeared as tears clouded her vision.

Still looking out, she spoke to her son. "I know you don't understand, Henry. Life is always so simple when you are a child. Good wins. Monsters under the bed are banished with a mother's kiss. But when you grow up… life isn't like that anymore. I love Emma. And Emma is falling in love with me. But it isn't the real me. It's _this_ me. The mayor who has been nothing but kind to her since she got here. The woman who cooks for her and flirts with her and smiles at her like she's the center of the universe. The woman who dances in the park. But that isn't all of me, Henry. The real me, the me she knows with her memories… she could never love her. And… it might be selfish, it might be wrong… but I am not in a hurry to lose the way she looks at me now for the way she will look at me when she remembers who I am."

Tears were streaming down her face now and her shoulders slumped forward. Henry hugged her from behind. "Oh, Mom…"

Regina sniffled and tried to calm herself. "I know it's wrong. And it isn't fair to Emma or you or anyone else. But… I don't think I could bear to lose that light in her eyes when she smiles at me. I don't want to see the memories flood back in and make her see me as the Evil Queen. I like just being Regina."

Henry turned his mother and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Mom… you know she's never seen you as the Evil Queen. You've _always_ been Regina to her. And you are right. It isn't fair to her or to me… but it isn't fair to you either. Do you really want to love someone who just _looks like_ Ma? Because we both know that she isn't fully herself and she never will be without her memories. She deserves to be made whole… and you deserve to love and be loved by a complete Emma… not just a piece of her."

Brown eyes gazed into green and Regina knew he was right. She couldn't keep Emma in her cursed state forever. That was something the old Regina would do. But she wasn't her anymore and she couldn't allow Emma to suffer any longer.

"You… you are right." Regina offered a wet smile to her son. "How'd you get so smart?"

Henry grinned and squeezed her arms under his hands. "I get it from my mom… both of them."

Turning to the counter, Regina filled a cup with coffee and added sugar and cream—just like Emma liked it—and adopted a confident, regal posture. She stepped out of the kitchen and headed upstairs, calling back over her shoulder. "Wish me luck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: People are mean. It's a fact of life I guess but it always shocks. When I posted that I wasn't going to finish these stories, I did it because I wanted to let you guys know what was going on. I did it because I know as an avid reader of fanfic that an abandoned, orphaned story is the worst. I get invested then I get let down. I wanted you all to know that I was leaving but that I'd try to wrap up the stories with an outline or a complete chapter. I wanted you to know so you'd have closure.
> 
> I've had so many nice responses and lovely encouraging words... its true. So many of you have reached out and warmed my heart with your love and light and well wishes. Beauty in black and white on a screen. I thank you for that love... you have been healing balm in a difficult time in my life.
> 
> But I've also been hit with some cruel words too. Words like I'm awful for not finishing. Words like I'm an attention seeker for trying to keep you all informed. Words like its pathetic and manipulative to suggest that I will post a closing chapter if you want to see it... a desperate attempt to ramp up comments. People are mean.
> 
> And if they knew me... or anything about me... they'd know nothing could be further from the truth. They'd know that I love these stories, these characters and all of you. And deciding to walk away from it, for whatever reasons I deem necessary, is one the hardest things I've ever had to do. I've managed to write a few condensed chapters to finish this tale because I feel that is the right thing to do. But I would never manipulate anyone... especially not for reviews. Look at my stories. I have so many faithful readers, followers, faves and comments. I'm lucky to have thousands of hits EVERY DAMN DAY. I don't need to... nor would I ever... abuse any of you by tricking you just to increase numbers. And for even one person, let alone a dozen, to hide behind anonymous and suggest it hurts my tender heart like hell.
> 
> So... people are mean. But they don't tell me what to do, when to write or how to feel. I have one more chapter to this story and it will be complete. Then I will be wrapping up Pictures of You and Take Me Home Tonight. And then... I will be gone. These stories will be left up for readers to enjoy.
> 
> You... the kind, sweet, patient readers deserve an ending and I shall give you one if it is the last thing I do.
> 
> Fuck the mean people. They don't run me...


	11. Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, dear readers, here we have it. This is a double update and will conclude this story. I hope the ending will be satisfying to you all. This was the first multi-chapter fic I ever attempted so it is a special moment for me to be finally marking it complete.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading and commenting and encouraging me along the way. You are all precious and I am so happy to have been able to write something for you.
> 
> As always, thanks a million to Jenn for reading and editing and just being awesome in general. You are too good to me.

“Emma?” Regina felt odd knocking on her own bedroom door but she didn’t want to walk in on the blonde if she wasn’t dressed.

“Yeah?”  The voice was muffled and Regina knew the other woman must still be in the bathroom.

“Can I come in?” She took a deep breath and a part of her hoped that Emma would say no so she could go back downstairs. 

But no such luck.  “Um… sure.  I’m still in the bathroom but I’ve got my clothes in here.”

Regina turned the knob and entered the room.  Her bed was still unmade, which made her feel uncomfortable.  She never left her bed unmade.  _Not the important thing to focus on right now Regina._ Looking around the room, strategizing, she wondered where she should sit.

If she sat on the bed, there would be more room for Emma to sit by her for a talk, but it might be too intimate for them to sit on the end of the rumpled bed.  The chaise was probably a better choice but it wasn’t very large so Emma might feel uncomfortable sitting so close.  Regina sighed.  She knew she was freaking out and overthinking but this wasn’t a conversation she really wanted to have.

She opted for the chaise and tightened her robe as she sat.  She wondered absently if she should also dress before Emma came out of the bathroom, but decided against it when the door opened and a waft of steam billowed out.

“You have maybe the hottest water I have ever had in a shower before.  It was… amazing.  If I had a bathroom like that I’d look like a prune for the rest of my life.”  Emma smiled, stepping into the room.  She was wearing her jeans and tank from the previous night although her feet were bare, her face clean of make-up and her hair wet.  She toweled the ends shuffling across the room toward the door.  “I’ll get out of your way so you can get ready for your day.”

“Emma?” Regina’s voice cracked and she cleared her throat.  She could do this.  With a little more confidence she tried again.  “I’d actually like you to stay a moment.  There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Emma eyed the woman skeptically for a moment before taking her hand from the door and facing her fully. 

“I brought you a coffee.”  Regina smiled, holding the cup out.

Still Emma toweled the ends of her hair, scrunching it into the natural curls that would be there as soon as it dried.  Regina patted the end of the chaise, inviting her to sit.  The blonde stepped into the bathroom and hung up the wet towel before taking the coffee cup and sitting by her.

Regina looked at the floor rather than make eye contact.  She wasn’t really sure how to begin.  Before she could begin, she noticed Emma’s feet.  They looked soft and small out of the boots she always wore.  And her toenails were painted a purple so deep it bordered on black.  Regina felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.  This was the first time she could recall ever seeing Emma Swan’s naked feet.

“So… what’s up?  Is everything ok?”  Emma blew across the surface of the coffee and took a small sip.  She moaned at the taste.  “God.  Is everything just better here?  This is a great cup o’ joe.  And just like I like it.”  Emma took another larger sip and waited for Regina to speak.

“Well, I’m not sure _everything_ is better here, and by here I assume you mean in my home, but I do buy rather expensive coffee for home brewing.  Granny’s is fine in a pinch but I prefer… well… something richer, smoother.”  Regina smiled and tried to push her nerves back.  She knew she was wasting time talking about coffee and she knew Henry was right.  She needed to finish this.  But it was hard.

Regina watched for another moment as Emma sipped from the cup.  She knew in a moment things would be different.  In a moment, Emma would remember everything.  She’d recall that the awful life she’d lived in foster care and on the streets had been a direct result of Regina’s actions.  She’d remember that she was without her family for twenty-eight years because of her.  She’d remember the way they had fought and struggled and tried to keep Henry away from each other.  She’d remember that Regina was someone she barely like, let alone loved and whether it was True Love or not, she wouldn’t want her.

Regina swallowed a lump in her throat.  What if she wasn’t her True Love at all?  She and Henry were making a huge leap assuming that was the case.  Poetic or not, just because Regina loved her didn’t mean it was True Love.  And so what if Emma felt _something_ for her?  Did that mean anything concrete?  No.  It didn’t.  This whole thing was a risk.  But Henry seemed sure. 

And if Regina was honest with herself… she was sure too.  As sure as she had ever been about anything in her life.  Not even with Daniel had she felt just the way she felt now, sitting on the chaise in her robe, watching Emma sip coffee in the morning light.  Yes, this was True Love.  But it wouldn’t matter in a moment.  Because in a moment, Emma would remember.

And then she would reject her.

“So…”  Emma seemed to be growing uncomfortable with the silence as Regina continued to stall.

“Sorry.  I…”  Regina drank in every inch of Emma, memorizing the light in her eyes she was sure would go dim as soon as she knew—really knew—what was going on.  “I have something to say and I need you to listen and not interrupt me.  Can you do that?”

A deep furrow appeared between Emma’s brows as she studied the other woman.  “Yeah, I can… you know, listen.  What’s going on?  Did I do something wrong?  I’m sorry about getting drunk last night.  I know we—“

Regina placed a hand on Emma’s arm and squeezed gently, silencing her.  “No, Emma.  You haven’t done anything… but I have.”  Regina took the near empty coffee cup from the woman and placed it on the side table to her right.

“You?  What are you talking about?”  Emma smiled at the absurdity of Regina having done anything wrong.

“Please Emma, let me talk and you just sit and listen, ok?”  Regina smoothed out the front of her robe nervously and waited.

“Yeah, ok.  Sure.  I’m all ears.”  Emma turned slightly on the end of the chaise and folded one leg under her so she was facing Regina now.

Regina smiled sadly and felt the stinging of tears in her eyes, but she took a deep breath and decided to just dive in and worry about the consequences later.

“You know, when you first appeared on my doorstep—the first time—and you seemed so uncomfortable with the whole situation… I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.  Even with all that was going on, and my fears about… well, so many things, I had no idea who you were or what your being here meant, but you still made my heart jump in a way it hadn’t in so very long—“

“Regina… I—“

“No.  You said you wouldn’t interrupt.  Please?”  Emma nodded and mimed locking her mouth and throwing away the key.  “I invited you in for a cider and you wanted something stronger.  I felt threatened to be honest but mostly I felt terrified by the attraction I was feeling.  I had shut off my emotions for so many years for anything other than… well, my son… that I didn’t know how to handle this sudden feeling surging to the surface.  And I guess when I learned who you _really_ were, all I wanted was for you to get the hell out of my life.”

Emma’s eyes were confused.  She clearly didn’t understand the things Regina was saying.  The only time she remembered coming to Regina’s door with Henry and being offered a drink was just a week ago.  But, despite her confusion, she kept her promise to just listen.

“I thought we were making progress until my mother showed up and ruined it.  I was so hurt when you didn’t believe me.  I thought of all the people in this town, you had my back.  You would look past all the history and see me.  You always seemed to really see… _me._   But you didn’t.  You listened to the two idiots and you turned on me and it hurt, Emma.  It hurt so much. 

When I realized Mother was the cause of it all, the very first thing I wanted to do was bang on your door in the middle of the night and make her tell you that I was innocent.  But she did what she did best and manipulated me into waiting.  And then it was too late.  But I couldn’t be mad at you because what did I do?  I turned right around and proved that I didn’t deserve your trust. 

Damn it.  I did just what everyone thought I would.  But I think it hurt most of all because I was falling in love with you even then and I was letting myself believe it could be different.  I guess I wasn’t very good at loving and I was confused about my own feelings.  It seems so obvious now but—“

“You… you love me?  Regina, what—“ Again Emma tried to speak, confusion at the other woman’s words outweighing her desire to keep her word.

Regina held up a hand to quiet her.  “Please, Emma.  Just give me a minute and all this will make sense.  I promise.”

Emma nodded and rubbed her sweating palms against her jeans.  She was beginning to wonder if Regina was going nuts.  She wondered where Henry was and if he could get out of the house safely if she screamed.  Regina was starting to scare her.

“I guess none of that matters now.  But that day… at the town line,” Regina sniffled and finally lost the battle with her tears. “I wanted nothing more than to tell you how I felt.  It wasn’t like you’d remember anyway.  But I knew that would be selfish.  And to be honest, I didn’t really know just how deeply my feelings ran until we were apart.  So I did the only thing I knew to do.  I gave you a gift that meant everything to me.  Good memories… my memories with my son before you—“

“Wait.  Wait.  The town line… I dreamed last night something about… I’m so confused right now.  What are you talking about?”  Emma’s eyes searched Regina’s, wanting so to understand.

“You… you dreamed about the town line?  Is that why you called out for me this morning?”  Regina forgot for a moment to finish what she had started.

“Yeah.  I mean, I dreamed…”   Emma huffed and raked a hand through her still damp hair. “You know what?  It doesn’t matter.  It was nuts.  There was like this green cloud and purple light and…”

Regina shook as Emma trailed off.  The blonde was indeed trying to regain her memories though she didn’t realize what was happening.

“Emma?  Listen to me.”  Regina gripped the other woman’s hands in her own and gazed through her tears into confused green eyes.  “I know this sounds crazy right now but I promise you, in a moment it will all make perfect sense.” 

Emma nodded for her to go on and squeezed the hands in her own.

Tears now marred olive skin as they raced down Regina’s face.  Her voice was wet with emotion as she spoke.  “No matter what happens next… no matter what you think or remember… just know this one thing.  There is nothing more important to me than you and Henry.  No matter how it seems or what anyone says… I _do_ love you.”

Not willing to wait another minute, Regina launched herself forward and crushed her lips against Emma’s.  The blonde was caught by surprise but made no attempt to retreat and kissed Regina in return.  Suddenly a burst of golden light billowed out from them and faded into a rainbow as it spread wider and wider and out of sight.

Regina pulled back and watched green eyes full of confusion suddenly fill with understanding and then… shock and something else Regina couldn’t identify.  Was it… fear?  Emma leapt back and a hand went up immediately to her mouth.  She stumbled back from the chaise, muttering quietly, “I… I remember.  I remember _everything.”_

Taking in Emma’s desire to put distance between them, Regina was sure her worst fears were being realized.  Emma was rejecting her.  She remembered now and no longer saw Regina with eyes of love as she had just moments ago.  Now she saw her as she really was and it obviously frightened her.

With a flourish of her hand, Regina disappeared in a column of purple smoke.


	12. If Anyone Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *****THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE! PLEASE READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER BEFORE YOU GO ON!*****
> 
> A/N: Finally! The long awaited conclusion. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> If you are interested at all, I made a play list for this on my youtube account that includes the song the story title is from, as well as the individual chapter titles. As a special treat, it also has the songs that stood for chapters that either were omitted or merged into the ones you see here. I recommend you give it a listen. Sometimes the tone of the song, a lyric, or something about how it made me feel is what inspired it to be a part of this story.
> 
> Remove the spaces and change the words in ALL CAPS to what they say and this link should work: www DOT youtube DOT com SLASH playlist?list= PL5jiICxl56bFfvrxWtMG7Rtym8l-WrjGT 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5jiICxl56bFfvrxWtMG7Rtym8l-WrjGT

Emma stood dumbfounded, staring at the spot where Regina had been sitting as the final wisps of her magic faded away as if they’d never been there.  Hands firmly on her hips, Emma looked up at the ceiling and growled.

“God dammit, Regina.  Where’d you go?”

Jogging across the hall, Emma grabbed her socks, boots and leather jacket and headed down the stairs.

“Henry?  Kid?  Where are you?”

The boy peeked his head out of the living room where he’d been watching television and waiting patiently for everything to be ok.  “Uh, I’m right here.  Is… is, uh… you know… is everything ok?”

Emma eyed him for a moment before just asking.  “Do you have your memories or what?”

The boy smiled and sprang toward her, locking his arms around her in a hug.  “Yes!  Do you?  Of course you do!  This is great!  I knew it would work.  I told Mom it would.”  Letting her go, he looked back up the stairs.  “Where’s Mom?”

“Hell if I know, Kid.  She gave me a speech, kissed me and poofed away.”  Emma sat on the bottom step and set about putting on her boots.

“Poofed?  Oh no.  What did you do, Ma?”  Henry frowned at his mother.

“What did _I_ do?  I didn’t do anything.  One minute I was drinking coffee, the next minute she was kissing me and my memories came back.  Why do you assume I did something?”  Emma grunted trying to force her foot into a too tightly laced boot.

“Well, I assume that because she poofed.  You must have done something to upset her.  She was terrified as it was to try for True Love’s kiss because she was sure you’d go all weird—“ The boy arched a brow, looking for all the world like Regina.  “You acted weird, didn’t you?”

“No.”  Emma stood and slipped on her jacket.  “I mean… maybe.  I… I dunno.  I just acted like a person who just got their memories back after a year because someone who they thought hated them confessed to being in love with them.  I’d say if I remained conscious I handled it pretty well.”

The two of them just stood staring at each other a long moment, considering the situation.  Henry broke the silence.

“She told you she loved you?”

“Yeah.  She did.  And before I could process it all, she just… poofed.  And now I don’t know where in the hell she is.  I need to talk to her before she shuts me out completely.  I just don’t know where—“  Emma stopped abruptly in midsentence.  “I think I know where she is.  Call your grandparents and let them know I have my memories and then you stay here until I come back, ok?”

“Ok but… Ma!  Where are you going?”  Henry called after Emma’s retreating form as she jogged down the walk toward the street.

“I’m going to get your mother and tell her I love her too.”

~ (SQ) ~

Emma stumbled down the stone steps into Regina’s underground vault.  She had exactly zero doubt that she would find the other woman here.

“Regina?”  Her voice echoed in the empty rooms.  “Regina?  Are you down here?”

She waited two beats but heard nothing in response.  She looked in the main chamber, full of Regina’s magical elements.  She wasn’t there.  She wandered past rows of hearts and into a chamber where Henry Sr., and Cora were laid to rest.  Still no Regina.

Emma frowned.  Had she misjudged the brunette so fully?  She was certain this is the place she would have gone seeking solace from a supposed rejection.  But it was evident she wasn’t here after all.  Maybe she was in her office?  Or in the woods?  She could be anywhere really.

Defeated, Emma headed to the steps that led back to the surface.  She stopped on the bottom step when a feeling crashed into her.  She couldn’t see her… but Regina _was_ there.  She was sure of it.

“Regina?  I know you are down here somewhere.  I don’t know why you are hiding from me but I’m not going to push.  When you are ready to talk about… well… the kiss and everything that means I’ll be at your house, sitting on the top step in the foyer, waiting for you to come home.”

She paused another moment but still she heard nothing.  Maybe she was wrong.  Maybe she wasn’t feeling Regina’s presence there at all.  Sighing heavily, Emma started up the steps again.  A voice behind her stopped her.

“Emma, wait.  I’m… I’m here.” 

Clambering back down the steps, Emma looked around for the woman.  At the end of the hall a door which had only just been a mirror a second ago was now slightly ajar, light spilling from it.

“Well, don’t just stand there.  Come in before I change my mind.”  Regina’s disembodied voice called from beyond the door and Emma quickly made her way to it and entered the room.

She was shocked to see a large room, decorated in Regina’s black and white style.  One wall was covered in all manner of mirrors.  Toward the back on one side was a large painting of a horse, and a saddle sat displayed before it.  In another spot, several dresses that Emma could only assume belonged to the Evil Queen were displayed on mannequins. 

Dominating the room was a snow white replica of Regina’s beloved apple tree.  Emma grinned a lopsided grin at the thought of anything in Regina’s life being referred to as ‘snow white’ given the less than healthy relationship the two women had had for over three decades.

“I’m glad something about my most prized possessions is so amusing to you, Miss Swan.”  Regina’s full on mayoral voice filled the air.

“Yeah, it was just something about the tree.  I didn’t realize how important that is to you.  And now I feel like shit all over again for taking a chainsaw to it even if you deserved it at the time. I’m sorry about that, Regina.”  Emma turned to see Regina, still in her gray robe, sitting on a small couch near the entrance and behind the door that was slowly closing.

“Well, thank you for the apology although, it doesn’t really matter anymore… does it?”  Regina was stiff, her tone clipped. 

Emma knew she had gotten here just in time.  Given another hour and Regina would have completely rebuilt her walls and shut Emma out.  “Yeah.  It does matter.  That was a shitty thing to do and I’m… I’m sorry.”

Regina shrugged.  “Forget about it.  I suppose I did deserve it.  I certainly did everything I could to be… _shitty_ to you, if I can borrow your crass descriptor.”

Emma just nodded and scuffed her toe on the stone floor beneath her.  She had to handle this with finesse or risk ruining everything before there was even anything to ruin.

“Those your dresses from the Enchanted Forest?”  The blonde dipped her head in the direction of the ornate gowns.  Regina merely nodded her acknowledgement.  “You must’ve been something else in those.  Especially that one.”  Emma indicated a red and black gown with black plumage around the collar.  The plunging neckline and ostentatious jewelry drew her attention in particular.

“Well, they were designed with two things in mind.  One, I wanted to be terrifying to those who could be controlled by fear.  And two, I wanted to display my sexual prowess to those who could be controlled by lust.  I had quite a hold on my subjects for the most part.”  Regina smirked, remembering some of the tight leather pants, low cut tops and form fitting dresses she had worn in her reign as queen.

Emma nodded again, unsure how to go on.

“Miss Swan, why are you here?  Certainly your mother will have organized a parade and potluck supper to celebrate your return by now.”  Regina feigned disinterest and studied her finger nails as if they were far more important than anything Emma could say.

Emma barked out a laugh.  “You know, for someone you claim not to like, you sure do know her pretty well.”

Regina arched a brow at that.  “Haven’t you heard, dear?  Keep your friends close… and your _enemies_ closer.”

“So you two are still feuding after a year in the Enchanted Forest?  How’d you guys get back here anyway?”  Emma was suddenly very curious about the year she had missed.  “And is my mom pregnant?  How did that happen?”

Regina looked up with a wicked smile.  “Now surely I don’t need to explain _that_ to you, Emma.”

Feeling the tension momentarily ease, both women laughed at the idea.  “No.  I think I’ve got that one down.  But… seriously.  Are you two still at odds or… what?”

Regina’s laughter quieted and her face became somber.  “No.  We aren’t fighting anymore.  We… well, we had something in common when we arrived back in our old land and I guess we decided to bury the hatchet for good.  She became quite important to me in the last year.  Though if you tell her that I said that I will end you, Swan.”

Emma held up two placating hands.  “Hey now!  No need to start baking turnovers yet.  I’m not going to say a word.”

The women smiled at the joke.  It seemed so long ago now that it no longer carried a sting like it once had. 

“So… what are you doing here, Emma?”  The vulnerability in Regina’s eyes, the quake in her soft voice made Emma’s heart melt in her chest.  Without another thought, she crossed the space between them and sat on the edge of the little sofa beside the brunette. 

“Well… to be honest, about an hour ago I had a shower in the bathroom of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.  I had just about decided that, whether or not I was leaving in a week to head back to New York, I was not going to just forget about her.  I was willing to try long distance if she was, but I wasn’t about to let her go.”  Emma’s eyes never looked away from Regina’s.

“I see.  But I guess that all changed—“

“Yeah.  It did.  See, I was just sipping my coffee, wondering how to tell her what I was feeling when out of nowhere she started telling me all this crazy shit.  I was beginning to worry for my safety.  She sounded nuts.  But then… then the most amazing thing happened.”  The blonde paused, hoping Regina would take the bait.

Brows furrowed with impatience, Regina finally spoke up.  “Well, what happened?”

“I’m glad you asked.  The woman… she told me she loved me and then she kissed me.  Other than giving birth to Henry, it was the single greatest moment of my life.  She loved me!  Can you imagine?  Me!  This beautiful, wonderful woman loved _me._ ”  Emma waited a beat and went on.  “And then my mind filled with memories that I had lost and it was a shock.  In fact, it was a little scary to realize I had lost a year of my life.  And to be honest, realizing that, with my full knowledge of who I was and who she was, that this woman loved me… well it scared the hell out of me.”

Regina huffed and made to stand.  “Did you just come down here to rub it in my face that you don’t want this, Emma?  I know you were scared.  It was plain on your face.  I’m sorry that of all the people in the universe _I_ am the one you got stuck with.  It can’t be a good feeling to have the Evil Queen for a true love but—“

“Wait!”  Emma stood and grabbed Regina by the hand.  “Stop.  Just… stop.  I didn’t come to rub anything in your face.  And I’m not sorry one bit to be stuck with you.  I don’t feel stuck at all.  Actually for the last thirty years or so I have been stuck in a giant holding pattern, waiting for my life to start.  But today… when you kissed me… that was the first time I felt unstuck in my life.”

Confusion painted Regina’s dark features.  “What?  What are you saying?”

“I’m saying… I’m saying yeah, alright.  I was scared when I realized what was going on.  But not because of you being the Evil Queen once upon a time.  I don’t now nor have I ever seen you as her and you know it.  You’ve always just been Regina to me.  I wasn’t scared of that.  I was scared because for the first time I knew… really knew that things were about to change.  You love me and I love you.  And for somebody who has never had anyone much to love her… that’s pretty scary.”

A tiny gasp escaped Regina’s throat.  “You… you _love me?_ ”

“Yeah.  I do.  I really do.  Maybe since the first time I saw you, before things got all mixed up and weird between us.  I was about to tell you that when you freaked out and poofed away from—“

“Transported.”  Regina said dryly.

“What?”  Emma said confused.

“Transported.  I do not _poof._ I magically transport.”  Regina arched a brow.

“Seriously?  You are interrupting my declaration of love to talk technicalities of magical terms?”  Emma threw her hands up in the air.

Regina grinned and stepped closer to Emma.  “Oh.  Is that what you were doing, dear?  Declaring your love?”  There was a pout on her lips and teasing in her tone.  “Well, by all means.  Do go on.”

Emma smiled brightly, pulling Regina flush against her.  “Well, now you made me forget what I was about to say.  Besides, I’m not in the mood now.”

Regina’s gaze darkened and her hands smoothed up from Emma’s waist and into her golden curls.  She purred into Emma’s ear.  “Not in the mood.  That’s a shame because I was just about to get in the mood myself… _Emma._ ”

The blonde shuddered and threw her head back with a sigh.  “That is so unfair.  You can’t use that voice on me when I’m trying to be difficult.”

Regina giggled in a decidedly undignified and certainly un-queen-like manner.  “I’m sorry.  Please.  Go on with your declaration, darling.”

Emma smiled, looking deep into chocolate irises.  “I love you, Regina.  And scary or not, there’s nothing and no one in this world or any other that is going to change that.”

Regina raised up on the balls of her still bare feet and brushed her lips lightly against Emma’s.  “Good.  Because I love you too, Emma Swan and I’ll be damned if anyone is going to get in the way of that ever again.  Now, kiss me already.”

Emma didn’t need to be told twice.  The instant their lips met, everything else seemed to fade away.  Soft, tender kisses soon gave way to deep, passionate ones and a cloud of purple closed around the women, taking them back to Regina’s bedroom… back home.

They couldn’t have predicted it when they met that first night but there was no doubt now… they were made for each other and it was as certain as the stars in the night sky.  And nothing would ever tear them apart.

This was the happy ending they’d both searched for… each other.


End file.
